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The Enugu State governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Godfrey Nnaji, has accused the Enugu State government of violating his privacy, after his campaign office was attacked.
He alleged that all the campaign livery used to decorate the office, fence, and surrounding areas were torn down and carted away.
He also accused the state government of lawlessness and wondered why the government was in a haste to tear down the liveries decorating his office when there is a case challenging the state government’s signage policy pending in court.
In a statement, he said: “My privacy has been invaded by the Enugu State Government. My personal campaign office was attacked by the Enugu State Environmental Protection Agency (ENSEPA) and all my posters were torn down in contravention of an ongoing court process. A motion on notice was served on them and we are waiting for the hearing of the matter when this latest attack happened. The signage policy of the Enugu State government has been challenged at the Federal High Court, Abuja, for about two months now.”
He described as “politically sad and unethical,” the violation of his campaign premises with disregard to the pending court processes, adding that such reprehensible level of political intolerance and disregard of the judicial system should have no place in a society guided by laws.
“I wish to express my deep concern and condemnation over what I
considered to be an unwarranted invasion of my privacy and an
unacceptable attack on my personal campaign office at Abakaliki Road in Enugu State.
“What makes this development particularly disturbing is that the Enugu State government’s signage policy is currently being challenged before the Federal High Court, Abuja, and a Motion on Notice has already been served on the relevant parties. We are awaiting the hearing and determination of the matter.
“Against this background, I find it deeply troubling that enforcement
action was allegedly undertaken while the judicial process is ongoing,” Nnaji lamented.
The state government recently passed a law prescribing a fine of N150 million for any political party that would erect a signage or poster, as campaigns for the 2027 general elections commences.
The law, which has been interpreted by many observers as targeting the opposition political parties, is being challenged in court already,
and many had expected the state government to await the outcome of the pending case before taking action on Chief Nnaji’s campaign office.
Critics of the new signage law, and those who have challenged it in court argued that it was impossible to impose a N150 million fine on a single board/poster by the parties when the Electoral Act 2026 set total campaign ceilings for gubernatorial contests at just N1 billion.
“If the Electoral Act limits total spending of a governorship candidate to N1 billion, then any state government that imposes such a fee for permit to paste posters and erect signage, is either being unrealistic or is demonstrating that it does not want the opposition to campaign,” the statement read.
“Why the haste? Why destroy first when the court is already looking into the matter,” Nnaji wondered?
The rule of law, he argued, requires patience, restraint, and respect for due process. “Where a policy or governmental action is before a competent court, the proper course is to allow the judiciary to determine the legality of the disputed policy rather than resorting to
actions that might appear to prejudge the matter,” he said.
He said although he was aware that ENSSAA had publicly reiterated its ban on the display and pasting of posters across state, citing the
Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency Law No. 12 of 2016, he emphasised that the existence of a government regulation does not remove the obligation of every public authority to respect due process, lawful court proceedings, and the fundamental rights of citizens.
“What makes this development particularly disturbing is that the Enugu State government’s signage policy is currently being challenged before the Federal High Court, Abuja, and a Motion on Notice has already been served on the relevant parties. We are awaiting the hearing and determination of the matter,” he stated.
