The Federal Government has dissolved the Secretariat of the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP) over its approval of billboards with the title: ‘All Eyes on The Election Tribunal Judges.’
The ‘All Eyes on the Election Tribunal Judges” narrative started as a social media campaign by the supporters of the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last Presidential election, Peter Obi.
The campaigners are alleging plans by the judiciary to favour the incumbent President Bola Tinubu.
According to the FG the advertisement was a blackmail of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
The Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) Dr. Olalekan Fadoləpo, announced the dissolution of the Panel in a statement released on Tuesday, August 15.
Fadolapo said the Council has also suspended its Director and Deputy Director in charge of Regulations to allow investigations into the issue.
While noting that some of the adverts were not approved by the ASP, he said the Panel erred in the approval of one of the concepts as the advertisement failed vetting guidelines.
The ASP is the Statutory Panel under the Council charged with the duty of ensuring that advertisements conform to the prevailing laws of the Federation as well as the Code of advertising ethics of the advertising profession.