Oby Ezekwesili flays FG for disbanding advertising panel over ‘All eyes on judiciary’ digital billboard
By Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
For Education Minister and a Good Governance advocate, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has criticiced the Federal Government for disbanding the Secretariat of the Advertising Standard panel over the controversial ” All Eyes on the Judiciary” digital billboard.
Ezekwesili’s criticism is coming barely 24 hours after the Federal Government disbanded the panel.
The panel was accused of endorsing the billboards accused of attempting to manipulate the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal with the slogan: “All Eyes on The Judiciary.”
Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, in a statement issued on Tuesday, announced the dissolution of the panel.
The Advertising Standard Panel (ASP), a statutory panel within the Council, is tasked with ensuring that advertisements adhere to the prevailing laws of the Federation and the Code of Ethics for advertising professionals.
According to him, the ASP Secretariat failed to diligently exercise its function as the gatekeeper of advertising, advertisement, and marketing communications, hence the dissolution.
The statement read:”The attention of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria 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 Standərds 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.”
The statement further stated that the Council had temporarily suspended its Director and Deputy Director responsible for Regulations, pending an investigation into the matter.
But Ezekwesili who took to his Twitter handle Wednesday, exonerated the panel of any wrong doing.
She argued that the harm done to the 2023 elections by the failure of the electoral umpire to live up to its promises and expectations, was worse than any digital billboard.
“A Digital Billboard is so much cheaper than one that an obviously misguided regulator demolished.
“So here’s my message to our Nigerian Judiciary that constitutionally owes Citizens absolute judicial independence, transparency and integrity”, Ezekwesili tweeted.
