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By Chinelo Obogo, Lagos
The Federal Government has dissolved the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP) over its approval of the ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary’ billboards, accusing the sponsors of blackmailing the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
In a statement signed by the Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Olalekan Fadolepo, the FG said the Director and Deputy Director in charge of Regulations have been suspended and investigations will commence immediately.
He said the adverts were not approved by the ASP, which is the statutory panel under the Council charged with ensuring that advertisements conform to the code of advertising ethics and that the Panel didn’t vet the guidelines.
The ARCON DG said the Council would set up a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the approval of one of the concepts of the advert and the breach of the vetting guidelines.
The statement said: “The attention of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has been drawn to the “All Eyes on the Judiciary” advertisements exposed on some billboards across the country. The concepts exposed were not approved by the Advertising Standards Panel, hence, the Council has directed that all the materials being exposed be brought down immediately and the violators sanctioned.
“The Advertising Standards Panel of the Council also erred in the approval of one of the concepts as the advertisement failed to vet guidelines on the following grounds: The cause forming the central theme of the campaign in the advertisement is a matter pending before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Hence, it’s jus pendis.
“A matter being jus pendis and awaiting judicial pronouncement is, by virtue of the Nigerian legal system, precluded from being a subject of public statement, debate, discussion, advertisement, etc. The advertisement is controversial and capable of instigating public unrest and breach of public peace.
“The advertisement is considered blackmail against the Nigerian Judiciary, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, and particularly the Honourable Justices of the Tribunal who are expected to discharge their judicial functions without fear or favour over a matter that is currently jus pendis.”
“Consequently, the Director and Deputy Director, Regulations have also been suspended. The suspension is to enable an unprejudiced investigation of the issue. The Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) Secretariat failing to diligently exercise its function as the gatekeeper of advertising, advertisement, and marketing communications is hereby dissolved.”
