The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged urgent legal reforms and stiffer penalties for politicians and political parties engaging in early campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, while speaking in Abuja at a roundtable on the challenges of premature campaigns, lamented that the Commission lacks the legal authority to sanction offenders.
He expressed concern that political actors and their proxies have plunged the nation into a “perpetual election mode,” in clear violation of Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which permits campaigns only 150 days before polls.
Despite the law, Yakubu noted, politicians have continued to flood the public space with media adverts, rallies, and billboards for 2027 and upcoming off-cycle elections. He said the forum was convened to rally lawmakers, civil society, regulators, and legal experts to close the loophole.
The INEC boss expressed optimism that the National Assembly, currently reviewing the electoral law, would act on recommendations to strengthen compliance.
Supporting his position, Chairman of the INEC Electoral Institute Board, Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, warned that the practice, if unchecked, could distract leaders from governance and erode public trust.
Also speaking, former INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, cautioned that the rise of premature campaigns, often financed by incumbents and third-party proxies, could undermine the credibility of the 2027 polls.
The roundtable, attended by political party leaders, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), civil society, and media stakeholders, resolved that sanitizing Nigeria’s electoral space requires urgent amendments, stricter enforcement, and stronger civic education.
RN