BY CAROLINE AMEH
ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its former Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, have raised fresh concerns over the rising wave of premature political campaigns and unchecked campaign spending, warning that unless urgent reforms are undertaken, the credibility of the 2027 General Elections may be severely compromised.
Speaking at a one-day policy roundtable convened at The Electoral Institute, Abuja, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the Commission’s hands remain constrained by loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022, which make it impossible to regulate political spending that occurs outside the officially designated campaign window.
Yakubu explained that while the law sets clear limits on campaign expenditure for aspirants and political parties, those limits only apply once campaigns are formally declared open, 150 days before the election, under Section 94(1) of the Act.
“Aspirants and their supporters often begin mobilising long before this date, sponsoring rallies, media adverts, billboards and even community projects, all of which fall outside the Commission’s regulatory reach,” Yakubu said.
“The funds spent before the official campaign window cannot be tracked, yet they often amount to billions of naira. By the time campaigns are officially declared open, much of the heavy spending has already been done in ways we cannot sanction under the law.”
He lamented that the absence of penalties for breaching campaign timelines encourages aspirants to flout the rules, giving wealthier contenders an unfair head start.
“Our hands are constrained because the law is silent on consequences for early campaigning. Without deterrence, aspirants will keep pouring money into activities that compromise the spirit of campaign finance regulation,” he added.
Yakubu further warned that premature spending distorts the political playing field and undermines INEC’s constitutional duty to ensure fairness, urging lawmakers, regulators and civil society to urgently close the legal gaps before the 2027 polls.
Echoing the concerns, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who delivered the keynote address at the roundtable with the theme, “The Challenges of Premature Political Campaigns,” described early electioneering as an “undesirable aberration” with far-reaching consequences for Nigeria’s fragile democracy.
“The consequences are enormous, undermining democratic institutions, encouraging lawlessness, granting unfair advantage to reckless parties, escalating campaign spending and diverting incumbents from governance to politicking,” Jega warned.
He added that early campaigns heighten political tensions, encourage hate speech, deepen ethnic and religious divisions and, in fragile areas, may even spark pre-election violence.
The former INEC boss pointed to the proliferation of campaign billboards, posters, media appearances and rallies outside the legally permitted period as evidence of indiscipline and disrespect for democratic institutions.
He blamed the absence of stringent sanctions as a major enabler, stressing that many office holders hide behind “third-party” support groups with questionable funding sources, or deploy state resources, including project commissioning and public events, for political advantage.
“When incumbents do it and get away with it, or third parties act on their behalf with impunity, a spiral of lawlessness unfolds, undermining the electoral process,” Jega cautioned.
He called for urgent reforms to clearly define what constitutes campaign activity, impose stiffer penalties on violators and hold candidates and parties vicariously liable for the actions of their supporters.
Jega also urged anti-graft agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC to track campaign financing, while reiterating the need for an Election Offences Commission and Tribunal to enforce compliance with electoral laws.
Drawing on lessons from other democracies, he cited Australia, Mexico, India and the Philippines as countries where premature campaigns attract heavy sanctions, preserving fairness and public confidence in elections.
At the roundtable, Chairman of the Board of The Electoral Institute, Prof. Abdu Zulu, noted that politicians often disguise campaign activities as philanthropy, religious thanksgiving services or cultural celebrations, exploiting these “grey areas” to evade the rules.
He urged more civic education to discourage public acceptance of such practices.
The event drew participants from the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Broadcasting Commission, the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, as well as media executives and civil society groups, who all shared perspectives on strengthening oversight.
Yakubu concluded that reforming campaign finance laws was critical not only to protect INEC’s integrity but also to safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.
“Unchecked spending undermines fairness and accountability. The time to act is now, before the 2027 elections overwhelm the system,” he said.
