APCON ‘Constrained’, Police Warn, LASAA on Politicians
By Wole David
“We are therefore constrained to remind political candidates, their supporters and communication consultants, owners and managers of mass media organizations of extant regulations on the design and publication /broadcast political advertisements.
These regulations require, among other things, that political advertisements deal with issues (campaign manifestoes, promises etc.) and avoid negative reference to political opponents other than criticism of their policies”, says the registrar, Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON), Alhaji Garba Kankarofi.
Sequel to the national uproar that followed a bald-faced, unapproved and offensive wrap-around advert carried by a national newspaper, sponsored by the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, the regulator of advertisement in Nigeria had called for a press conference to address the issue but later, sent a release, maybe still in the spirit of the ‘constraint’.
Industry observers are wondering that the grand design of politicians may be, for this same reason that the government at the federal level, through the former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, tried to foist a non-professional, partisan politician on APCON after the expiration of the term of Lolu Akinwunmi, MD/CEO, Prima Garnet, the former president of APCON.
Although the plans remain unfulfilled and remain unresolved, but Maku lost the gubernatorial ambition on the platform of the major political party and moved to another party. Unconfirmed speculations are widespread in industry gist that Maku may have lost the ticket because he could not ‘deliver’ on rallying the IMC community.
APCON advised all media managers to present all political advertisement to its Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) for pre-exposure approval before the final presentation which is the standard known by professional practitioners in Nigeria.
A senior colleague who does not want his name in print, says, “Some Nigerian politicians will push their disrespect for law and decorum too far to the fringe and as usual afflict the organized private sector and the larger society that the nation may not be able to recover from it and then they will run away.
APCON has asked politicians to avoid the use of foul or abusive language as well as false, distorted or unsubstantiated claims or miss-representation of facts.
In like manner, the Lagos State Police Command through the Commissioner of Police in the state, Kayode Aderanti, in a controversial way, through a press conference, has asked the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency to desist from removing the campaign posters and billboards of political opponents saying, “We note with concern the series of complaints which have been made against LASAA by candidates of various political parties about removal of campaign billboards and posters purportedly by personnel of the agency. The Electoral Act 2010 as amended is clear in Section 100(2), where it said that state apparatus, including the media shall not be employed to the advantage or the disadvantage of any political party or candidate in any election”.
The head of the agency, George Noah retorted that LASAA guidelines have been issued without prejudice to any individual, political party, association or businesses before election with inbuilt fairness and equality among all concerned stakeholders with a focus at judiciously preserving the integrity of the environment without sentiments or bias, and that the outdoor sectoral group, OAAAN has been working with those rules.
Meanwhile, Governor Fashola had complained earlier to the political press, “If you look at the Third Mainland Bridge, you will see the posters of***, He has taken over the advertising spaces on the bridge, which LASAA already allocated to those who paid for the spaces…The PDP took over the spaces without caring for the existing contractual agreement.”
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.