Kogi guber poll: Court strikes out Dino Melaye’s suit against N50m campaign signage fees

A high court sitting in Lokoja has struck out a suit filed by Dino Melaye, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the November 11 governorhip election in Kogi State, to challenge campaign charges imposed on political parties by the Kogi State Signage and Advertisment Agency.

The Agency had directed political parties to pay the sum of N50 million before mounting billboards and pasting posters ahead of the governorship poll.

The political parties were also instructed to pay N2 million for each billboard mounted in the state.

Melaye had in an exparte motion dated September 12, prayed the court to declare the charges imposed by the Agency as illegal.

He also asked the court to declare the creation of the Agency null and void, arguing that its establishment was against constitutional provisions.

However, in a ruling on Monday, the presiding judge, Justice Ruth Alfa, struck out the motion for lack of merit.

The judge held that the exparte motion was defective and, as a result, she did not delve into the particulars of the suit.

Meanwhile, Osaseyi Richard, the General Manager of the Agency, has announced that the defacing and removal of all unauthorised forms of outdoor advertisment in the state will commence with immediate effect.

He urged the general public to head to the Agency to make all necessary payments for outdoor advertisment.

Osaseyi further thanked the people of Kogi for being law abiding and peaceful, and also promised to always deliver on the Agency’s mandate by sanitizing outdoor advertisment in the state.