The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the current Electoral did not stipulate any sanction concerning breaches for campaigns earlier than 150 days to an election.
It added that this has posed a serious challenge for the Commission in dealing with early campaigns by political parties, prospective candidates and their supporters.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu gave the hint on Wednesday in Abuja at a one-day roundtable on the challenges of premature/early political campaigns in Nigeria held at The Electoral Institute (TEI), Abuja.
He said around the country, they have seen outdoor advertising, media campaigns and even rallies promoting various political parties and candidates.
The chairman lamented that 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.
He noted that these actions and activities 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 before the official commencement of campaigns.
Yakubu stated: “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.”
Yakubu pointed out that while the problem of early campaigns in Nigeria was 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.
He stressed that it was 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.