ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal Government on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, dissolved the Secretariat of the Advertising Standards Panel, ASP, over its approval of billboards deemed to be attempting to influence the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Tribunal with the slogan: ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary.’
Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), announced in an official statement.
The ASP, a statutory entity within ARCON, ensured that all advertisements conform to the Federation’s prevailing laws and the industry’s Code of Ethics.
Detailing the rationale behind the dissolution, Dr. Fadolapo stated, “The Advertising Standards Panel did not approve the concepts exposed [on the billboards]. As a result, the Council has directed for all the exposed materials to be removed immediately and the violators to be sanctioned.”
The Director-General highlighted several reasons why the billboard should not have been approved:
- The primary theme of the campaign pertains to an ongoing matter before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, making it jus pendis.
- The Nigerian legal system prohibits public discussion, debate, or advertisement of matters being jus pendis.
- The advertisement’s content is contentious, potentially igniting public unrest and disturbing peace.
- The advertisement is viewed as an attempt to blackmail the Nigerian Judiciary, the Tribunal, and, more specifically, the Honourable Justices of the Tribunal overseeing a matter currently under deliberation.
Dr. Fadolapo admitted that while several advertisements bypassed the ASP’s authorization, an error occurred during the approval process for one specific concept. This specific advertisement didn’t align with the vetting guidelines.
He added, “We will be initiating a committee to scrutinize the circumstances leading to the flawed approval of one of the concepts and the violation of our vetting guidelines.”
In response to this oversight, the Director and Deputy Director overseeing Regulations have been provisionally suspended to ensure an impartial investigation into the situation.
Emphasizing the significance of this decision, Dr. Fadolapo concluded, “Given the ASP Secretariat’s failure to uphold its role as the guardian of advertising and marketing communications, it is hereby dissolved.”
