INEC CONVENES STAKEHOLDERS’ DIALOGUE ON MENACE OF PREMATURE CAMPAIGNS

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called for robust multi-stakeholder action to address the growing challenge of premature election campaigns by political actors, which continues to undermine the integrity of the electoral process and distort the level playing field.

The call was made today at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Roundtable on Premature Political Campaigns organized by The Electoral Institute (TEI) at its headquarters in Abuja.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Board of TEI, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, stated that the roundtable was convened to examine the “growing trend of what clearly appears as early political campaigns in the country, albeit being denied by the actors involved.”

Prof. Zuru highlighted the new tactics employed, noting that “aspirants use cultural festivals and religious gatherings to drop hints about their ambitions,” while “social media influencers and content creators have become key players and fronts, flooding platforms with songs, skits, and hashtags that project particular aspirants many months before the permission of the law.”

He warned that this trend distorts fairness, raises the cost of political competition, distracts from governance, and ultimately erodes public confidence in the electoral system.

The Hon. Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, pinpointed the Commission’s major challenge in tackling the issue: a gap in the electoral legal framework.

Citing Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which stipulates the 150-day campaign period, Prof. Yakubu revealed that “there is no sanction whatsoever concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election. Here lies the challenge for the Commission.”

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He emphasized that these early actions “undermine the Commission’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.”

To address this, the Chairman informed the gathering that the Commission had invited the leadership of the National Assembly Committees on Electoral Matters to hear recommendations from stakeholders firsthand, given that the Assembly is currently engaged in a review of the electoral legal framework.

The keynote address was delivered by former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega. He described premature campaigns as a “serious threat to elections” that “undermine the integrity of the entire electoral process.”

Prof. Jega was particularly critical of the use of third-party groups and incumbent officials. He stated, “premature election campaigns are actually being perpetrated by premature democrats,” and proposed that “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.”

The roundtable 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), alongside contributions from the IPAC Chairman.