INEC Raises Concerns Over “Premature” Campaigns Ahead of 2027 Elections

By: Aremu Toyeebaht

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over “premature” political campaigns by parties and candidates in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections, warning that current legal gaps make enforcement difficult.

Speaking at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Roundtable on Premature Political Campaigns, organized by The Electoral Institute (TEI) at its Abuja headquarters, INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu stressed that the Electoral Act 2022 limits official campaign activities to 150 days before an election. “There is no sanction whatsoever concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election. Here lies the challenge for the Commission,” Yakubu noted, highlighting the difficulty in tracking campaign finance limits as politicians, prospective candidates, and third-party agents spend substantial sums that cannot be effectively monitored.

Yakubu expressed particular concern about the role of third-party groups and incumbent officials in fueling early campaigns.

Former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega also criticized the trend, describing early campaigns as the work of “premature democrats.” “All candidates and their parties, and especially incumbent office holders and their political parties, should be vicariously held responsible and penalized for premature campaigns for them by third parties,” Jega said, urging stricter accountability measures.

The roundtable also featured presentations from the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, the Inspector General of Police, and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), with contributions from the IPAC Chairman, focusing on strategies to curb early political mobilization and ensure fair electoral processes.

INEC’s intervention underscores growing concerns over electoral integrity, the influence of money in politics, and the need for updated legal provisions to regulate pre-election activities effectively.