ARCON Warns Parties, Media Houses Against Unapproved Political Ads

Raheem Akingbolu

The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has warned political parties, candidates, campaign organisations, advertising agencies and media platforms against publishing political advertisements that have not been approved, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The warning was given on Tuesday, 20 October, at a Political Advertising Forum organised by ARCON in Lagos. Regulators, electoral officials, security agencies, advertising professionals and lawyers attended to discuss the rules governing political communication.

ARCON Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, who also represented the Minister of Information and National Orientation, said the Council was engaging political actors and other stakeholders so that campaigns comply with the law.

He said ARCON was working with relevant ministries, regulatory bodies and security agencies because political advertising affects the electoral process, public order and national cohesion. Political advertisements, he stressed, must be approved before they appear in traditional or digital media.

Fadolapo also raised concern about the growing number of political posters and campaign messages that attack opponents instead of presenting manifestos or clear policy choices. He said ARCON would keep engaging stakeholders to stop the political communication environment from becoming toxic and a threat to national peace.

In his keynote address, the Director-General of the Centre for Media Law and Development, Barrister Charles Odenigbo, told political parties, campaign organisations, advertising agencies and media owners that compliance with advertising regulations is a legal obligation and not an election-season formality.

He explained that responsibility for an unlawful political advertisement can extend beyond the publisher to sponsors, campaign beneficiaries, agencies, media buyers, planners, consultants and others involved in commissioning, financing or benefiting from it.

Odenigbo urged campaign organisations to submit their materials and media schedules well ahead of publication. He also called on media organisations to reject political advertisements that lack the required approval.

The Chairman of the Advertising Standards Panel, Dr Emmanuel Agu, explained the vetting process for political advertising and said it allows accelerated consideration where urgent processing is needed.

The President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria and Chairman of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group, Lanre Adisa, said political advertising matters well beyond the commercial market because it can influence who governs and affect the lives of millions of Nigerians.

Adisa called for regulation to be seen as a means of encouraging responsible political communication and not only of detecting violations and imposing sanctions. He urged advertising professionals to promote campaigns built on policies, ideas, leadership choices and claims that can be substantiated.

Representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Head of Election and Party Monitoring in Lagos, Badejo Babalola, warned political actors against misinformation, hate speech and other negative narratives that could undermine peaceful participation and public confidence in the electoral process.

Assistant Commandant Segun Adeogun of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said security agencies would work alongside the police to ensure compliance with the law as political activities intensify.

Chief Toye Arulogun, a former Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism and an advertising practitioner, questioned how effective the forum could be when political actors and party representatives, the main targets of the message, were not sufficiently represented. He said those who commission and finance political campaigns should take part directly in engagements meant to explain the rules they must obey.

A former President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, Mrs Bunmi Oke, called for greater inclusion in the industry’s deliberations, especially more women and persons with disabilities on advertising panels and in related engagements.

Stakeholders at the forum agreed on the need for compliance with advertising regulations, responsible political communication, and cooperation among regulators, political actors, media organisations, advertising practitioners and security agencies as political activities build towards 2027.