BREAKING: FG Dissolves Advertising Standard Panel Over ‘All Eyes On The Judiciary Billboards’ (DETAILS)

BREAKING: FG Dissolves Advertising Standard Panel Over ‘All Eyes On The Judiciary Billboards’ (DETAILS)

The Federal Government has taken the step of dissolving the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP) Secretariat due to its approval of billboards that were perceived as attempting to influence the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal with the message: ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary.’…CONTINUE READING

Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, the Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), issued a statement on Tuesday announcing the dissolution of the Panel.

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Fadolapo also stated that the Council has temporarily suspended its Director and Deputy Director in charge of Regulations to facilitate investigations into the matter.

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Fadolapo acknowledged that while some of the advertisements were not authorized by the ASP, a mistake occurred in the approval process for one of the concepts, as the advertisement did not adhere to the vetting guidelines.

The ASP is a statutory panel within the Council responsible for ensuring that advertisements align with the prevailing laws of the Federation and the Code of advertising ethics in the advertising profession.

The ARCON DG outlined the reasons why the specific advertisement should not have been allowed in the statement:

“The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has been made aware of the ‘All Eyes on the Judiciary’ advertisements displayed on certain billboards across the country. These concepts were not endorsed by the Advertising Standards Panel, resulting in the Council’s directive to immediately remove all such materials and take appropriate action against the violators.

The Advertising Standards Panel made an error in approving one of the concepts, which failed to adhere to the vetting guidelines due to the following reasons: The campaign’s central theme in the advertisement pertains to a matter that is currently before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, rendering it sub judice. As per the Nigerian legal system, issues that are sub judice and awaiting judicial decisions are prohibited from being subjects of public statements, debates, discussions, advertisements, and the like. The advertisement is contentious and has the potential to incite public unrest and disrupt public peace. The advertisement is viewed as an attempt to manipulate the Nigerian Judiciary, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, and specifically the Justices of the Tribunal, who are expected to fulfill their judicial responsibilities impartially in relation to a matter that is currently sub judice.”

The ARCON DG mentioned that the Council will establish a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the “erroneous approval” of the advertisement’s concept and the breach of vetting guidelines.

Additionally, the Director and Deputy Director of Regulations have been temporarily suspended to ensure an impartial investigation. Consequently, the ASP Secretariat has been dissolved due to its failure to effectively perform its role as the guardian of advertising, advertisements, and marketing communications.

The “All Eyes on the Judiciary” narrative originally emerged as a social media campaign by supporters of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the previous Presidential election, Peter Obi. The campaigners are asserting that there are plans within the judiciary to favor the incumbent President Bola Tinubu.