Nigeria’s electoral commission, INEC, on Wednesday, explained why it has not been able to prosecute politicians and political parties engaged in premature political campaigns while expressing its frustration about the development.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on the challenges of premature political campaigns held at the Electoral Institute in Abuja on Wednesday, INEC Chairperson, Mahmood Yakubu, described the trend as ‘disturbing’ but noted the commission is handicapped in dealing with it.
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Mr Yakubu, a professor, said it is correct for Nigerians to expect the electoral commission to act against erring politicians and political parties.
“However, the major challenge for the commission is the law itself,” he said.
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Mr Yakubu explained that the Electoral Act did not prescribe punishment for political parties that breached it by holding campaigns earlier than 150 days before an election.
The electoral law only prescribed a ‘mild’ N500,000 fine on those who engaged in campaigns 24 hours before polling day, he said.
“Sections 94(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 imposes sanctions, albeit mild (a maximum amount of N500,000 on conviction), on any political party or a person acting on its behalf who engages in campaigns 24 hours before polling day,” he said.
“However, there is no sanction whatsoever concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election. Here lies the challenge for the commission in dealing with early campaigns by political parties, prospective candidates and their supporters.”
Mr Yakubu noted that these activities by political parties and their candidates undermine INEC’s ability to track campaign finance limits as politicians, prospective candidates and third-party agents expend large amounts of money that cannot be effectively monitored before the official commencement of campaigns.
How politicians flout the rule
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how political campaigns and billboards by politicians, including that of President Bola Tinubu, were flooding the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), violating section 94(1) of the Electoral Act, which prohibits the commencement of campaigns earlier than 150 days before polling day and 24 hours before election day.
Although the presidency has distanced itself from the billboards, many more have still been erected by the president’s supporters.
In April, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo announced that he had begun mobilising support for Mr Tinubu’s 2027 reelection bid.
Also, campaign posters promoting Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde for the 2027 presidential election have been spotted in different locations in the city of Kano.
READ ALSO: Ex-Tinubu campaign coordinator vows to mobilise against president, APC in 2027
The posters, which displayed Mr Makinde’s picture with the inscription, “To Move Nigeria Forward 2027”, were seen across locations including the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) roundabout, Wapa area (former site of Triumph Newspaper), Dangi Flyover, and the ever-busy Kwari Market, according to DailyTrust.
The governor is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and will round off his second term in office on 29 May, 2027.
Worried about the development in June, a group of seven Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) wrotewrote to Mr Yakubu, asking him to issue a public order barring political campaigns.
The CSOs asked INEC to collaborate with law enforcement agencies to remove all political campaign materials that violated the commission’s campaign regulations.
