INEC has admitted it lacks power to punish early campaigns ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
Chairman Mahmood Yakubu urged lawmakers to amend electoral laws to create enforceable penalties for violators.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has admitted it cannot penalize politicians and parties that have started campaigning ahead of the 2027 general elections because the current laws do not give it that power.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu made the disclosure on Wednesday, September 10, during a stakeholders’ forum in Abuja focused on the issue of early political campaigning.
Yakubu explained that Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 bars campaigns earlier than 150 days before election day, but does not provide for penalties when the rule is broken. He noted that Nigerians expect the commission, as regulator of political parties, to act against the growing disregard for the law, but that its hands are tied.
He added that the only monetary penalty outlined in Section 94(2) applies to campaigning within 24 hours of an election a fine of up to ₦500,000 leaving INEC unable to curb the wave of premature campaigns. Yakubu pointed out that politicians and their supporters have already started holding rallies, installing billboards and running media ads despite the legal limits, making it harder for the commission to monitor and regulate political spending.
The meeting brought together lawmakers, political party leaders, civil society groups and regulators to discuss ways forward. Yakubu expressed optimism that the ongoing review of Nigeria’s electoral laws by the National Assembly would take stakeholders’ recommendations into account and provide enforceable penalties for future breaches.
INEC National Commissioner Abdullahi Zuru, speaking at the same event, said early campaigning is one of the most troubling issues in the country’s democracy. He noted that aspirants are increasingly using cultural events, religious gatherings, social media personalities, and branded materials to promote themselves long before official campaigns begin. According to him, this rush to gain visibility distorts fair competition and raises the cost of politics.
Zuru warned that unchecked premature campaigns distract elected officials from their duties, weaken public trust in the electoral process and foster cynicism about the rule of law. He called for a clearer and more modern regulatory framework to define and address early campaigning in Nigeria’s evolving political and digital environment.
