INEC Flags Early Political Campaigning as Premature and Unlawful

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised concerns over the increasing signs of political campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections, describing such moves as premature and a violation of the law.

INEC made this known through the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, who confirmed that the official timetable for the next general election is yet to be released.

“There’s no approved schedule in place, and party primaries are yet to happen,” he said, pointing to existing legal guidelines that define the proper campaign window.

Under Section 94 of the Electoral Act, political campaigns are only allowed to begin 150 days before the election date, and must stop 24 hours before polls open. Section 95 further mandates that all campaign activities must follow INEC’s rules.

Oyekanmi emphasised that active campaigning or calls for votes ahead of INEC’s official calendar amount to a violation of electoral law.

He also mentioned that political parties have already been reminded of these boundaries during INEC’s last stakeholder meeting and are expected to act accordingly.