By Dennis Agbo
ENUGU — Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, has accused some state governments of usurping functions constitutionally assigned to local governments, alleging that the practice is being used to frustrate opposition parties ahead of elections.
Osigwe made the allegation on Thursday at the ongoing 22nd All Nigeria Editors Conference, ANEC, organised by the Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, in Enugu.
Speaking during an opening session themed, “The Ballot, the Media and the Task of Keeping Democracy Alive,” the former NBA president cited the regulation of campaign billboards and other signages as an area where state authorities had allegedly encroached on local government functions.
He alleged that some state governments had taken over the regulation of signages and imposed what he described as huge fees and fines on opposition parties seeking to erect campaign billboards.
According to him, the development was making it difficult for opposition parties to display their campaign materials, while raising questions over whether members of ruling parties were subjected to similar charges.
“It’s making it difficult for opposition parties to put up their signages. Then putting huge cost on it that is doubtful whether the members of the ruling party in those states are paying,” he said.
Osigwe further alleged that campaign billboards belonging to members of ruling parties were more visible in many states, while those of opposition parties were rarely seen.
“So, in most states, you only see the billboards of the members of the ruling party in that particular state, and not the opposition ones,” he said.
He warned that the alleged use of regulatory powers in such a manner could undermine equal participation in the electoral process and place opposition parties at a disadvantage.
Osigwe’s comments came amid broader discussions at the conference on Nigeria’s democracy, electoral processes and the role of the media in sustaining democratic participation.
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