By Ngozi Onyeakusi—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.