Political parties, campaign organisations and media owners have been urged to prioritise lawful, issue-based advertising as regulators and industry leaders called for stronger compliance ahead of the 2027 elections.

The call emerged at the Stakeholders’ Engagement on Political Advertising Regulation, organised by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) at D’Podium in, Lagos.

Discussions focused on securing approval before advertisements are exposed, preventing inflammatory campaign messages and strengthening cooperation among political actors, advertising professionals, electoral authorities and security agencies.

ARCON Director-General, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, who also represented Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said the engagement was intended to familiarise political stakeholders with their advertising obligations.

He explained that the effort involved other ministries and agencies, reflecting the shared responsibility for ensuring that campaign communication meets applicable requirements.

“All political advertisements must first be submitted to ARCON before posting. Hence, it calls for strict regulations and certain rules,” he said.

Dr. Fadolapo emphasised the importance of sustained engagement, alongside enforcement, in keeping political campaigns within the law.

“We, as part of the stakeholders, are also part of the forum. We must continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that political campaign is not violence and ensure full compliance to the law,” the DG said.

Delivering the keynote address, legal practitioner S. Charles Odenigbo, Director-General of the Center for Media Law & Development (CMLD), warned against treating advertising requirements as optional during election campaigns.

He said political communication operates within a binding legal framework, with responsibilities extending to campaign organisations and the media platforms carrying their messages.

“The ARCON Act, the Nigerian Code of Advertising, the Electoral Act, and the Nigeria Broadcasting Code are not aspirational documents. They are binding instruments,” he said.

Odenigbo urged campaign teams to submit materials to the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) sufficiently ahead of their intended release. He also called on media organisations to reject political advertisements that had not received approval.

Beyond vetting, he stressed that campaign claims must be truthful and capable of substantiation. Messages should address issues and avoid exploiting religious, ethnic or sectional differences.

“The regulatory framework I have described is not designed to make your work impossible. It is designed to make it lawful,” Odenigbo said.

He advised stakeholders facing difficulties with regulatory processes to raise their concerns through appropriate channels rather than disregard their obligations.

Badejo Babalolo, head of development election monitoring Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), called for cooperation across stakeholder groups, stressing that hate speech had no place in the electoral process.

“We need to survive this election and we need support, we don’t need hate speech,” Babalolo said.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) also highlighted the importance of security cooperation and peaceful campaigning.

Assistant Commandant Segun Adeogun, who represented the Commandant, Dayo Keshinro, urged participants to consider practical measures that would support a peaceful election.

“As you know, police have been taking the lead during elections. I will encourage the forum to deliberate on what will make the election a peaceful one,” Adeogun said.

Lanre Adisa, Chairman of the Heads of Advertising Sectorial Groups (HASG), reinforced the call for adherence to advertising rules as preparations for the next elections gather momentum.

“As we approach the 2027 election, regulation must be imposed and encouraged to comply,” Adisa said.

His remarks added the industry’s voice to the wider appeal for political advertisers to recognise compliance as part of campaign planning and execution.

Addressing the approval process, Dr. Emmanuel Agu, Chairman of the Advertising Standards Panel, explained that political campaign materials follow the same basic vetting procedure as other advertisements.

Materials must first be submitted to the ASP, he said, before its 17-member committee examines them against the relevant guidelines.

Agu identified Nigerian law and the ARCON Act 2022, particularly Section 53, as the legal basis for the panel’s work.

He also said the ASP system provides for advertising materials to be vetted within four hours. That provision, he explained, could assist campaign organisations working within demanding production and placement schedules.