The Secretariat of the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) has been dissolved by the Federal Government. The decision to is related to its endorsement of the billboard with the slogan “All Eyes on The Judiciary,” which the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal claims is a form of blackmail.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), announced the Panel’s dissolution. Fadolapo claimed that in order to allow for inquiries into the situation, the Council also suspended its Director and Deputy Director in charge of Regulations.
He acknowledged that the ASP did not approve all of the advertisements, but said that the Panel erred in approving one concept because the commercial did not meet the requirements for vetting.
The ARCON DG said the Council would set up a committee to investigate the circumstances leading to the “erroneous approval” of one of the concepts of the advert and the breach of the vetting guidelines.
The ‘All Eyes on the Judiciary” 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.