Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called for an immediate stop to all political campaigns across Nigeria.
He said the move is necessary to allow elected officials to concentrate on running the country properly.
In a statement, Falana noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set the presidential and national assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
Although the elections are almost ten months away, Falana expressed concern that some political parties have already started campaigning, celebrating defections by governors and lawmakers, while governance seems to be ignored.
“This premature abandonment of governance has directly contributed to widespread insecurity, including kidnapping, killings by terrorists and bandits, weak accountability, and deepening poverty,” Falana said.
He also pointed out that huge public funds are being spent on illegal campaigns, while several state governments, including authorities of the federal capital territory, have failed to provide the counterpart funds required to access a N98 billion matching grant from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
Falana reminded politicians of Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which states that public campaigning should start only 150 days before election day and stop 24 hours before voting begins.
