Posters bearing the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which had flooded the busy Airport Expressway and other locations in Abuja amid debate over premature campaigning ahead of the 2027 general elections, have been removed.

Daily Trust observed that the campaign-style posters, which initially dotted the stretch from the City Gate to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and other strategic locations, were no longer visible as of this week. Instead, spaces previously occupied by the president’s images have been taken over by commercial advertisements and posters announcing religious programmes.

The posters appeared several months ago, triggering public debate and criticism, with many Nigerians, civil society organisations and electoral observers questioning their timing and legality. The controversy was heightened by repeated warnings from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that early campaigning contravenes the law.

INEC has consistently frowned on premature campaigns. Amid the controversy generated by the posters, the Presidency repeatedly distanced itself from the displays, insisting that President Tinubu neither authorised nor endorsed any campaign materials ahead of the 2027 polls.

In April, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said in a statement that “While President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima greatly appreciate their teeming and loyal supporters across the country for their enthusiasm and continuing support, the two leaders do not support any campaign that breaches the laws of the land.”

A visit by Daily Trust along the Airport Road this week showed a clear absence of the president’s posters from the City Gate through Lugbe and Gosa corridors down to the airport. Billboards and lamp posts that once carried the images now display adverts for telecommunications companies, real estate firms and upcoming religious programmes.

To ascertain how and when the posters were removed, Daily Trust spoke with traders, commercial motorcyclists (okada riders) and passersby operating along the corridor. None of those interviewed could identify the individuals responsible, while there were mixed reactions on whether the exercise was carried out during the day or at night.

Malam Sani Abdullahi, a roadside trader at Gosa, told Daily Trust that he noticed the posters disappearing but could not recall the exact date.

“I don’t know who removed them, but I saw some people taking them down in the afternoon, like normal workers. They were not wearing any political shirts,” he said.

Another trader, Aisha Musa, who sells bottled water around the Shoprite area, said: “We just noticed one day that the posters were no longer there.”

An okada rider, Ibrahim Lawal, who operates between Kuchigoro and Karomajiji near the City Gate, said the removal did not attract much attention at the time.

“I can’t tell whether it was during the day or night, but this is where we spend most of our time. If those who removed them had done it openly with political displays, we would have noticed,” he said in Hausa. “They did not wear any politically distinctive clothing.”

Social media users also took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the disappearance of the posters, offering varying accounts and interpretations of how and when they were removed.

One user, John Ezeakolam (@JohnEzeakolam), wrote that the posters were taken down late at night.

Another user, KRISSNIVU (@DonChrisnivu), in a post dated November 11, also asserted that the posters were removed earlier in the week. “From Monday, Nov. 10, all Tinubu posters and banners on the Abuja Airport Road have been removed. Is this about @realDonaldTrump warning to Nigeria? All the streetlight poles had his posters from the international airport to the National Stadium, Abuja,” the user posted.

Similarly, Paul Ofuokwu, writing under the handle @Flexible4Obidient, described the development as an aftermath of political pressure, claiming the posters were removed in the night.

The development comes amid growing calls by civil society groups for stricter enforcement of electoral laws to prevent early campaigns and ensure a level playing field ahead of the 2027 elections.

For now, the once-controversial Tinubu posters have vanished from one of Abuja’s most prominent highways, restoring the corridor’s usual commercial outlook but leaving questions about who ordered their removal.

Nevertheless, Daily Trust reported in July that some of the billboards, prominently displayed at strategic locations in Abuja, featured Tinubu alongside inscriptions promoting him for re-election in 2027. One major billboard was reportedly sponsored by the Grassroots Mobilisation Group, which campaigned actively for Tinubu during the 2023 elections. Others were said to have been sponsored by Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), who has called for mass mobilisation for Tinubu’s re-election, particularly along the Airport Road corridor.

INEC reacts

Reacting to the removal of the posters, the Deputy Director, Publicity, of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Wilfred Osilama Ifogah, said the development does not fall within the immediate concern of the commission, noting that it is not yet time for campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“INEC doesn’t have issues with that,” he said.

He explained that the commission had earlier engaged political stakeholders on the dangers and implications of premature campaigning, stressing that INEC had made its position clear. “A few months back, INEC had a roundtable engagement with stakeholders on the issue of premature campaigning and the position of the law,” he said.

According to him, while the law does not expressly spell out specific sanctions for premature campaigning, political actors were warned against such actions.

“The matter you pointed out right now has nothing to do with the commission because, to us, it is not yet time for a campaign with regard to the 2027 elections,” he said.

On whether the removal could be linked to the stakeholders’ engagement organised by the commission, Ifogah said: “I can’t say if it’s the outcome of the meeting.” (Daily Trust)