By Akombo Aondona, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has condemned the trend of early campaign by political parties and candidates, saying it undermines the commission’s ability to track campaign finance limits as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
Chairman of the commission Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this at a one-day roundtable on the challenges of premature/early political campaigns in Nigeria held at the Electoral Institute, Abuja.
Yakubu said: “Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 prohibits the commencement of campaign earlier than 150 days (i.e. 5 months) before polling day and must end 24 hours prior to that day. The idea is to prioritise governance over electioneering from one electoral cycle to another. However, political parties, candidates and their supporters seem to be perpetually in election mood even when the Electoral Commission is yet to release the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for elections or ahead of the timeframe provided by law.
“Around the country, we have seen outdoor advertising, media campaigns and even rallies promoting various political parties and candidates. These actions and activities undermine the Commission’s ability to track campaign finance limits as politicians, prospective candidates and third-party agents expend large amount of money that cannot be effectively monitored before the official commencement of campaigns.
“Quite correctly, Nigerians expect INEC, as registrar and regulator of political parties, to act in the face of the brazen breach of the law on early campaign. However, the major challenge for the Commission is the law itself. Sections 94(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 imposes sanctions, albeit mild (a maximum amount of N500,000 on conviction), on any political party or a person acting on its behalf who engaged in campaigns 24 hours before polling day. However, there is no sanction whatsoever concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election. Here lies the challenge for the Commission in dealing with early campaign by political parties, prospective candidates and their supporters.
“In a sense, the problem of early campaign in Nigeria is not new. The seeming inability of the Commission and other regulatory agencies to deal with the menace within the ambit of the existing electoral legal framework calls for deep reflection. It is in this context that the Commission considered it appropriate to convene this meeting in which legislators, leaders of political parties, civil society organisations, experts, practitioners and regulators will brainstorm on the way forward.
“I am glad that the immediate past Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, is here to share his experience on the matter in a Keynote Address. Similarly, as the National Assembly is currently reviewing our electoral laws, the Commission has also invited the leadership of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters. I am confident that they will give due consideration to actionable recommendations by experts, leaders of political parties, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) which regulates the broadcast media and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) which regulates advertisement, including outdoor advertising.
” Let me again reiterate the Commission’s strong belief that protecting our electoral process and consolidating our democracy is a multi-stakeholder task. I am confident that the Keynote Address and the panel discussions will provide insights into the problems of early campaigns and the measures necessary to address the challenge.”
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