The Plateau State Government has defended a ₦69.5 million fine over political posters displayed on public infrastructure, insisting that both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have faced sanctions under the same directive.
The dispute centres on Executive Order 003, which regulates the display of political posters across the state. The government has also warned that party offices and campaign centres found violating the order could be sealed within seven days.
Hart Bankat, General Manager of the Plateau Metropolitan Development Agency, gave the warning while responding to the ADC’s complaint that the penalties imposed on the party and its governorship candidate amounted to selective enforcement.
Bankat disclosed that officials removed 139 posters from the Secretariat Bridge, attracting a total fine of ₦69.5 million at ₦500,000 per poster.
He said video evidence showed that posters bearing the images of President Bola Tinubu and Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang had also been removed from the bridge.
The government’s position is that the order applies to every political organisation, regardless of whether it controls the state or belongs to the opposition.
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How the dispute began
The ADC had accused the state government of applying Executive Order 003 unfairly after the reported penalties against its campaign materials.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the party’s Plateau State Publicity Secretary, Silas Wettok, called for the withdrawal or suspension of the disputed fine pending a fair review.
The party questioned why its posters attracted sanctions while campaign materials bearing the images of the president and governor were allegedly still visible on public facilities within the same restricted area.
Although the ADC acknowledged the need to protect public infrastructure, it demanded equal treatment for all political parties and a public explanation of the agency’s enforcement decisions.
The disagreement therefore raises two separate questions: whether political posters were displayed in prohibited locations and whether officials have applied the restrictions consistently.
Evidence that posters belonging to different parties were removed would support the government’s claim that enforcement has not been limited to the opposition. However, a complete assessment would require details of the violations, notices issued, penalties imposed and opportunities available to affected parties to challenge the sanctions.
Government threatens closure of party offices
Bankat said the agency would continue enforcing the order and called on residents to report political advertisements displayed on public infrastructure.
He also alleged that ADC campaign posters had been placed inside a primary school, raising concerns about the use of public educational facilities for political promotion.
“There is nobody who is coming to fix this road for us if we don’t fix it by ourselves,” Bankat said, explaining the government’s position on protecting public property.
He added that the penalties were intended to benefit Plateau residents rather than advance partisan interests.
The government’s seven-day warning introduces another potential consequence for political organisations. If enforced, the threatened closures could disrupt campaign preparations and party activities ahead of forthcoming elections.
Fair enforcement under scrutiny
The controversy places the state government’s regulatory powers alongside the need for impartial political competition. Public infrastructure requires protection, but enforcement must also be transparent and consistent.
The ADC has questioned the fairness of the penalties, while the government maintains that the APC has also been sanctioned.
Neither claim alone settles the dispute. A public record of the affected posters, locations, fines and enforcement actions would help residents assess whether Executive Order 003 is being applied evenly.
For Plateau voters, the central issue is not simply whether political posters should be removed from restricted areas. It is whether the rules are clear, the penalties proportionate and every party subject to the same standard.
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