Samson Itodo: Security agencies should check early campaigns violating Electoral Act

Samson Itodo, executive director of Yiaga Africa, says security agencies should take decisive action against premature political campaigns by politicians across Nigeria.

Billboards promoting various political parties have appeared in numerous cities and towns across the country ahead of the 2027 elections, despite clear prohibitions outlined in the Electoral Act.

According to section 94 of the Electoral 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”.

Speaking on the matter on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme, on Thursday, Itodo criticised the widespread early campaign activities, particularly in the federal capital territory (FCT), where he noted that billboards promoting various political parties have already been erected.

Itodo said while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is responsible for prosecution, it lacks the capacity to arrest or investigate offenders.

“What INEC can do is to invoke the provisions of the constitution, which is to impose a N500,000 fine, but that has to go through the prosecutorial process that we have,” he said.

“I expect that the law enforcement agencies would actually prevail on those individuals. When you think about prosecution of electoral offences, it rests squarely on three pillars: the first one is arrest, the second one is investigation, and the third one is prosecution.

“The law says INEC should prosecute, but INEC does not have the capacity for arrest or investigation. So, the security agencies, especially the police, also need to be brought into these discussions. It is within their remit.

“If you have, for instance, in the FCT, where you have billboards across the entire city, you can clearly see that the campaign has begun. There are politicians, whether APC, ADC, PDP or Labour Party, who have been involved in premature campaigns.

“Why is it that law enforcement agencies are not pulling down those billboards, knowing fully well that it runs foul of the laws because they are clear campaigns?”

Itodo admitted that some billboards are put up by individuals or associations not officially linked to political parties, making it difficult to prove direct party involvement.

However, he said the activities still amount to early campaigning and should be addressed.

“One of the arguments people have made is that these billboards are erected by individuals and what you call movements, that they are not political parties, and you cannot establish whether those movements or associations are conducting those campaigns on behalf of political parties,” he said.

“It even makes it worse because whether they are conducting the campaign for political parties or not, they are engaged in early campaigns that are limited to political parties.”