A former Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega, has described premature election campaigns as “undesirable aberration” that must be checked to prevent it from undermining democratic process in Nigeria.
He stated this in his keynote address at the INEC roundtable on Wednesday at The Electoral Institute in Abuja.
The event had as its theme: “The Challenges of Premature Political Campaign”
Jega, a Professor in the Department of Political Science, Bayero University, Kano, said that the prevalence of premature campaigns raises serious challenges to the preparations and conduct of the 2027 elections.
The former INEC chairman said that if not appropriately checked, the practice posed one of the most serious threats to elections and could undermine the integrity of the entire electoral process.
According to Jega, for elections to be meaningful, ‘democratic’ and beneficial to the citizens, they should have integrity: i.e. be rule-based, transparent, ‘free and fair’, and have a level-playing field for all participating political parties and candidates.
Jega said that the Electoral Act provides a specific timeline for the start of campaigns, noting that any form of premature campaigning violates the provision, undermining INEC’s authority and the rule of law.
“Its consequences are enormous, such as broadly undermining democratic institutions, encouraging lawlessness among political actors, and granting unfair political advantage to parties and candidates who are reckless and brazen in disrespecting the law.
“Candidates or parties who begin campaigning early often gain more visibility and influence than other candidates.
“This creates an uneven playing field; it also reduces political competition, and ultimately escalates campaign spending.
“Similarly, premature campaigns shift focus from governance to politics, especially when incumbents engage in early campaigning, and divert attention to politicking rather than fulfilling their mandates to the electorate.
“Indeed, in the Nigerian context, premature campaigns quite often heat up the polity, increase political rivalry, as well as engenders hate speech, and ethno-religious polarization.
“This often triggers violence, especially in politically volatile areas, deters peaceful political participation, and weaken the enforcement mechanism to punish the offenders,” he said.
Jega also said that the lack of strict sanctions in Nigeria’s electoral legal framework had only worsened the issue, making it a widespread problem, particularly with the brazen use of posters and billboards by incumbents long before the official campaign period.
According to him, these early campaigns often involve “third-party” support groups with dubious financing, which likely violates campaign finance laws.
He noted that such acts, whether through billboards, public media, or the commissioning of projects for electioneering purposes, erode the integrity of the electoral process and create a perception of abuse of power.
“There are allegations that some parties/candidates sponsor these premature campaigns hiding behind dubious illegal “third parties”; thereby also breaching campaign finance laws.
“Premature campaigns consist of, not only erection of bill boards with candidates portraits and messages soliciting votes and/or endorsements; b
“But they also include, using public media and resources to advertise records of ‘achievements’ of incumbents, or use of official positions and commissioning of projects for electioneering purposes.
“When incumbents do it and get away with it, or other “third parties” do it on their behalf and get away with it, a spiral of illegalities and lawlessness is unfolded, undermining the rules-based system and the integrity of the electoral process.
“There is no doubt that, currently in Nigeria, the prevalence of premature campaigns raises serious challenges to the preparations and conduct of the 2027 elections, and therefore need to be sanitised urgently.
“It is being done quite brazenly especially by incumbent elected officials at all levels and tiers of government,” he said.
To address these challenges, Jega stressed the need for a clear, unambiguous definition of what constitutes an election campaign and for stiff penalties for violations.
He also proposed that candidates and political parties be held vicariously responsible for premature campaigns conducted on their behalf by third parties.
The former INEC chairman also urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to scrutinise the funding sources of these third-party campaigners.
Jega further reiterated the urgent need for an Elections Offences Commission and Tribunal to be established, as it would be crucial for enforcing electoral laws and protecting the integrity of the upcoming 2027 elections.
He said that Nigeria could learn valuable lessons from countries like Australia, Mexico, India and the Philippines, which had effectively sanctioned premature campaigns.
