Despite the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 prohibiting early political campaigns, findings by The Guardian show that major political parties have already begun electioneering for the 2027 general election, well ahead of the 150-day limit stipulated by the law.

According to the electoral timetable set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), February and March 2027 are tentative dates for the presidential/National Assembly and governorship/State Assembly elections, respectively.

However, more than 15 months to the scheduled polls, both the ruling party and opposition parties have begun canvassing for votes, even as the electoral umpire is yet to lift the embargo on electioneering. Abuja Formula 1 Grand Prix tickets

While governance and crucial issues of statecraft take the back burner, INEC, which is the umpire, has not enforced the 150-day campaign window prescribed by the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended).

What began as discreet and subtle marketing of political ideas has now blossomed into full-blown campaigns, energised by defections, membership drives, voter sensitisation, and election planning.

From billboards along major highways to social media adverts, branded rice bags, and veiled campaign events disguised as ?thank-you tours? or ?project commissioning,? politicians are already operating in full campaign mode, contravening the Electoral Act.

While the violations persist, silence from regulatory bodies such as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), all mandated to enforce compliance, has been conspicuous.

The involvement of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears to have undermined INEC?s sense of urgency, while politicians, particularly supporters of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria People?s Party (NNPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), among others, have become emboldened in their defiance of the campaign regulations. Nigerian Airways plane models

Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022 stipulates: ?The period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.?

By this provision, for an election scheduled for February 2027, campaigns should not begin earlier than September 2026. Yet, as early as late 2024 and year-to-date, political posters, digital campaigns, and public endorsements have surfaced, littering major cities across the country.

Specifically, Sections 94 to 97 of the Electoral Act outline the offences and punishment for violation: According to Section 94. (1) For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.

(2) A registered political party which, through any person acting on its behalf during the 24 hours before polling day? (a) advertises on the facilities of any broadcasting undertaking, or (b) procures for publication or acquiesces in the publication of an advertisement in a newspaper for the purpose of promoting or opposing a particular candidate?commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of 500,000.

96. (1) A person, print or electronic medium that broadcasts, publishes, advertises or circulates any material for the purpose of promoting or opposing a particular political party or the election of a particular candidate over the radio, television, newspaper, magazine, handbills, or any print or electronic media whatsoever called within 24 hours immediately preceding or on polling day, commits an offence under this Act.

However, from Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Rivers, and Oyo to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the trend, initially subtle, is gaining momentum with impunity ahead of the 2027 race.

Although some off-cycle elections have been announced for Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun States, in northern states like Bauchi, Gombe, and Kano, posters and billboards bearing the images of the incumbent President and Vice President, Kashim Shettima, already occupy strategic locations.

Similar campaign-themed materials featuring former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, widely tipped to secure a major opposition ticket, have also been reported. While most attempt to mask explicit messaging, their implications remain unmistakable.

In Lagos, giant billboards bearing the image of a prominent South-West governor with the slogan ?For Continuity and Progress 2027? were spotted in Ojota, Iyana-Ipaja, Lekki, and Festac Town as early as March 2025.

In Adamawa, large posters of a current senator reportedly eyeing the governorship seat bear the slogan: ?Hope is Coming Again 2027.? In Rivers State, billboards allegedly sponsored by allies of former government officials are also clearly campaign-themed.

In Oyo State, branded buses and campaign jackets promoting the ?Seyi 2027 Movement? have been sighted at rallies, projecting Governor Seyi Makinde?s undeclared presidential ambition. A veiled support group reportedly promoting his potential PDP candidacy has taken to the media, prompting Makinde to issue a statement reiterating his current focus on governing the state.

These messages, though often couched in ambiguous language, are unmistakably political in tone and intent, violating not only the spirit but also the letter of the Electoral Act.

With Nigeria?s youth population highly active on digital platforms, politicians have also taken their campaigns online. Social media handles on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram are already promoting 2027 ambitions. One such handle, @NaijaReady2027, launched by supporters of a North-West presidential hopeful, has been running ads targeted at southern voters since May 2025. Nigerian Airways plane models

Similarly, a pro-APC group, the Tinubu Mandate Consolidation Group (TMCG), has released campaign-style jingles on private radio stations in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano, praising President Tinubu?s ?visionary leadership? and urging Nigerians to ?allow him to finish the job.?

The recent death and burial of former President Muhammadu Buhari were also subtly turned into a campaign moment for a leading northern presidential hopeful, whose supporters openly claimed he is best positioned to inherit Buhari?s loyal 12 million voters.

Meanwhile, Labour Party?s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has publicly pledged to serve only one four-year term if elected in 2027. He also vowed to address Nigeria?s core challenges within two years. Just last Sunday, Obi reiterated these promises, prompting backlash from Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo, who dismissed the claims as vague and misleading. Obi, in turn, responded sharply to Soludo.

In President Tinubu?s home region of Osun, early campaign alignments have begun, especially following former Governor Rauf Aregbesola?s alignment with the ADC-led coalition, which aims to stop Tinubu?s re-election bid in 2027.Nigerian Airways plane models

This development is already heating the polity in the State of the Living Spring, where pressure is reportedly mounting on Governor Ademola Adeleke to defect to the APC and declare support for Tinubu?s re-election in exchange for securing his re-election in the August 18, 2026, Osun governorship election.

These indirect campaigns, especially when pushed by interest groups and political surrogates, offer politicians plausible deniability, yet they blatantly breach the 150-day campaign restriction.

Observers also note that the defection of sitting governors to the APC, along with their public endorsements of President Tinubu, forms part of what many describe as premature campaigning.

For instance, when Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom defected to the APC, he openly endorsed Tinubu, declaring that party lines no longer mattered in the state and describing it instead as a ?unity party? between the PDP and APC.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, upon their defection to the APC, also cited support for Tinubu?s re-election as a key reason.

Elsewhere, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State is reportedly exploring defection to the APC and is said to be leaning towards endorsing Tinubu?s 2027 bid. Similar reports surround suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Anambra?s Governor Soludo.

Just last week, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa launched ?Ondo State for Tinubu?, a statewide pro-Tinubu campaign body. In a press statement, the state?s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, confirmed the governor?s role in coordinating all political structures in support of President Tinubu?s 2027 ambition.

A development expert, Prof Arthur Martins-Aginam, said the breach reflects the anomalous state of affairs in the country, stressing that the impression has already been created that politicians are above the law.

While noting that citizens are helpless under the current circumstances, Aginam lamented the selective enforcement of electoral laws, describing it as symptomatic of the country?s pervasive corruption.

The analyst also warned that premature politicking is creating an uneven playing field for candidates and parties without early access to funding or expansive networks, particularly disadvantaging smaller parties and independent aspirants.

President of the Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, Akin Malaolu, lamented that early campaigns are distracting public officials from governance. ?Politicians elected in 2023 are now preoccupied with 2027 ambitions rather than delivering on their mandates. Governors are aligning with political godfathers, senators are holding consultations, and ministers are consolidating their structures, all for primaries that are still a year away,? he said.

He further warned that the situation could lead to political fatigue and voter apathy: ?When campaigns drag on for too long, public interest declines. We risk low turnout in 2027 because people are already overwhelmed by endless politicking.?

In his contribution, a lecturer at the Department of History and International Relations, University of Ilesa, Osun State, Dr. Olubukola Ayoola, said: ?The surreptitious campaigns are allowed and normal. However, it is a misplaced priority.? He contended that governance and public welfare have been relegated, as politicians engage in subtle campaigns ?at the expense of the people,? adding: ?Those in government are no longer delivering on governance. 2027 has taken over governance. It is not fair to the masses who voted them into power.?

Former Chief of Staff to the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi and Political Science lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Prof. Gbade Ojo, said: ?According to the Electoral Act, there are stipulated timelines for the commencement of campaigns. Politicians, being who they are, have started mass mobilisation and recruitment for their parties. What they are doing is not campaigning, but mobilisation. In a democracy, active political participation is allowed. For instance, what the APC did for President Bola Tinubu is still within the confines of the law.?

Describing the current developments as mere preparations for the election, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ibadan branch, Ibrahim Lawal, said: ?It is all preparation towards 2027. As far as I?m concerned, there is no campaign yet until INEC lifts the ban. You cannot campaign without party candidates. What we are witnessing are alliances, alignments, and consultations within and among political parties. Expression of interest and political alignments do not amount to campaigning.?

In a similar vein, former Attorney-General of Oyo State, Mr. Oluwaseun Abimbola (SAN), said: ?What some refer to as a campaign is not clearly defined. It is open-ended. It?s not as if people are on soapboxes, canvassing for votes. These are merely speculations. You don?t call speculations and expressions of interest campaigns. If anyone is aggrieved by what is happening, they can approach INEC for appropriate action.? (The Guardian)

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