Lagos State Signage and Advertisements Agency (LASAA) has appealed to political parties, politicians, campaigners and their supporters to adhere to guidelines on the use of election campaign materials ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The agency noted that in line with its enabling law to control and regulate advert displays in the state, it would assist and work with all political parties, politicians and campaigners in ensuring that they enjoy visibility in the state.

It, however, said that impunity and disregard for guidelines in the deployment of political campaign advertisement materials would not be tolerated.

LASAA’s Managing Director, Mr. Adedamola Docemo, in a statement, yesterday, said the agency would not hesitate to remove campaign materials deemed to have violated the agency’s guidelines for usage of election campaign materials in the state.

Docemo said that the guidelines, issued in accordance with the agency’s responsibilities on the use of billboards/wall-drapes, banners, A-frames and posters, to establish sanity and protect the environment from defilement, visual blight and other adverse effects of unregulated display of political campaign materials, must be strictly adhered with.

He also noted that the guidelines were issued without prejudice to any political party, association or aspirant, stressing that “it is our intention to ensure fairness and equality among all concerned stakeholders, as well as without sentiment or bias.”

The agency also 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.

LASAA, 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, warned that illegally-displayed and non-conforming political campaigns would be removed without recourse to the owners.

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”.