The Secretariat of the Advertising Standard Panel has been dissolved by the Federal Government for approving billboards with the phrase "All Eyes on The Judiciary". The billboards are perceived to blackmail members of the judiciary at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General of the Nigerian Advertising Regulatory Council, announced the dissolution of the Panel.

A Statutory Panel within the Council, the ASP, is in charge of ensuring that advertisements comply with the applicable laws of the Federation and the Code of Ethics for advertising professionals.

In the announcement, the Director-General of ARCON listed the reasons why the advertisement shouldn't have been approved:

“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 just pendis.”