As political campaigns begin ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisements Agency (LASAA) has promised to ensure a level-playing ground for all political parties in the state. The agency also appealed to political parties, politicians, campaigners and their supporters to adhere to the guidelines on the use of election campaign materials in Lagos State.
In a statement released by the agency recently, Managing
Director of LASAA, Mr. Adedamola Docemo, said LASAA is ready to assist and work
with all political parties, politicians and campaigners in ensuring that they
enjoy visibility in the state in line with its enabling law to control and
regulate advert displays in Lagos state.
He said political parties must adhere strictly to guidelines
issued by the agency on the use of billboards/wall drapes, banners, A-frames,
and posters, adding that the guidelines aim to establish sanity and protect the
environment from defilement, visual blight and other adverse effects of
unregulated display of political campaign materials.
Docemo noted that the guidelines were issued without
prejudice to any political party, association or aspirant. He said, “It is our
intention to ensure fairness and equality amongst all concerned stakeholders,
while judiciously performing our duties and applying the rules without
sentiment or bias.”
He added that impunity and disregard for the guidelines in
the deployment of political campaign advertisement materials will not be
tolerated, adding that LASAA will not hesitate to remove campaign materials
deemed to have violated the agency’s guidelines for usage of election campaign
materials in Lagos State.
LASAA cautioned political parties and aspirants to refrain
from indiscriminate deployment of campaign posters and embrace the use of other
creative and innovative platforms, including stick in the ground, billboards,
mobile A-frames and mobile adverts, even as it encouraged them to apply to
LASAA for allocation of spaces at different locations to deploy their
materials.
The LASAA boss added “We have also identified several public
safety infractions on some of the already deployed campaign materials during
our recent monitoring and compliance exercise. These materials fall short of
our safety standards within the Agency. Our assessment also showed many of
these materials deployed are light weight and are easily blown away due to
heavy wind on our major highways especially the 3rd mainland and Eko bridge
axis. We will be conducting necessary enforcement exercise to remove them in
the interest of public safety”.
While reiterating its readiness to assist and cooperate with
all political parties, politicians, campaigners and their supporters in
ensuring they have a hitch-free political participation, LASAA warned that
impunity and lawlessness in the deployment of political campaign advertisement
materials would not be tolerated.
The agency warned that illegally displayed and non-
conforming political campaigns would be removed without recourse to the owners,
reminding the affected individuals, groups and organisations that all
advertising materials must be removed immediately after the 2023 elections.
The statement however, encouraged the stakeholders and the
general public to visit the LASAA’s head office in Ikeja, any of its offices in
the local government areas or contact the agency’s various social media
platforms and website for further information and clarifications.