Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has voiced concerns over the rising trend of premature political campaigns in Nigeria, warning that the practice undermines governance and endangers the integrity of the electoral process.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ roundtable discussion, Yakubu stated that political parties, aspirants and their supporters have been flouting the law by publicly campaigning before the official timetable is issued by INEC.
“Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 prohibits the commencement of campaign earlier than 150 days (five months) before polling day and must end 24 hours prior to that day. The idea is to prioritise governance over electioneering from one electoral cycle to another,” he explained.
He bemoaned that despite clear provisions in the law, “political parties, candidates and their supporters seem to be perpetually in election mode even when the Commission is yet to release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for elections or ahead of the timeframe provided by law. Across the country, we have seen outdoor advertising, media campaigns and rallies promoting various political parties and candidates.
“These activities undermine the Commission’s ability to track campaign finance limits as politicians, prospective candidates and third-party agents expend large sums that cannot be effectively monitored before the official commencement of campaigns,” he said.
Yakubu admitted that the commission is constrained by the legal framework in addressing such violations.
“Quite correctly, Nigerians expect INEC, as registrar and regulator of political parties, to act in the face of the brazen breach of the law on early campaigns. However, the major challenge for the Commission is the law itself,” he said.
According to the INEC chairman, Section 94(2) of the Electoral Act only prescribes a “mild sanction” of N500,000 on conviction for campaigns conducted within 24 hours to polling day, but contains no provision for punishment for campaigns launched earlier than 150 days before the election.
“Here lies the challenge for the Commission in dealing with early campaigns by political parties, prospective candidates and their supporters,” Yakubu stressed.
“I am glad that the immediate past chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, is here to share his experience on the matter in a keynote address,” Yakubu said, noting that “as the National Assembly is currently reviewing our electoral laws, the Commission has also invited the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters. I am confident that they will give due consideration to actionable recommendations by experts, leaders of political parties, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which regulates the broadcast media, and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), which regulates advertisement, including outdoor advertising.”
