Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 election, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for tearing down billboards in key areas of the Federal Capital Territory, calling attention to the judiciary as Nigerians wait for the court’s decision in the Presidential Election Petition tribunal.
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Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said that President Bola Tinubu’s authoritarianism and assault on free expression were clearly demonstrated by the demolition of the billboards that read, “All eyes on the judiciary.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, Mr Shaibu said the directive by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria to pull down all billboards carrying the advert across Nigeria was totally uncalled for.
“ARCON also dissolved the Advertising Standard Panel which is the statutory panel under the council charged with the duty of ensuring that advertisements conform to the prevailing laws of the Federation as well as the code of advertising ethics of the advertising profession,” the statement read in part.
According to Shaibu, the whole incident reinforced the argument that “Election cases in court ought to be completed before beneficiaries of questionable elections are inaugurated.”
He further wondered how a message like, ‘All Eyes on the Judiciary’ translates to a threat to society.
The statement read, “The basic principle of social justice is about the people. The advertisers of the billboards only did what the norm is in civilized climes. It was the agents working to impress an interest that read meanings to that innocuous advert.
“Otherwise, it is a basic principle that eyes must be on the wheel of justice. Eyes must naturally be on the wheel of justice because when justice is delivered, it must be ‘seen’ to have been just! In any case, both Tinubu and the APC are before the same court.
“It is curious how they find this particular message upsetting. Anyway, even if they pull down the billboards, they can never stop all eyes from being on the judiciary at this historic time.”
