Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has disclosed that the Electoral Act provides no sanction for politicians who begin campaigns before the legally approved 150-day period.
He said this legal gap remains the Commission’s biggest hurdle in addressing the growing wave of early political campaigns across the country.
Speaking at a one-day stakeholders’ roundtable on premature campaigns convened by The Electoral Institute (TEI) in Abuja, Yakubu warned that early campaigns distort fairness in elections, escalate the cost of political competition, and make it difficult to monitor campaign finance.
He explained that politicians and their proxies commit huge funds into publicity months before the official timetable, making enforcement of spending limits almost impossible.
The INEC Chairman noted that the Commission had invited leaders of the National Assembly Committees on Electoral Matters to the forum to consider recommendations from stakeholders, especially as the legislature is currently reviewing the electoral framework. He maintained that any meaningful solution to the problem must come through legal reforms.
At the event, former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, described premature campaigns as a serious threat to credible elections, arguing that political parties, their candidates, and especially incumbents should be held responsible for activities carried out on their behalf by third parties.
Other presentations were made by the House Committee on Electoral Matters, the Inspector General of Police, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
