Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has urged political parties to immediately suspend all campaign activities across the country, warning that the early rush into electioneering is harming governance and worsening the nation’s problems.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), expressed concern that many elected officials have already abandoned their responsibilities in favour of political manoeuvring — even though the next general elections are still nearly ten months away.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly polls will hold on February 6, 2027.Despite this timeline, Falana noted that some parties have already begun aggressive campaigns, celebrating high-profile defections by governors and lawmakers, while critical issues of governance are being sidelined.“
This premature abandonment of governance has directly fuelled widespread insecurity, including rampant kidnapping, terrorist attacks, banditry, weak accountability, and deepening poverty across the country,” he said.
Falana also pointed out that huge amounts of public money are being wasted on these illegal early campaigns, even as many state governments — including the Federal Capital Territory authorities — have failed to pay the required counterpart funds needed to access a ₦98 billion matching grant from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) for improving basic education.
He reminded politicians of the clear provision in Section 98(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which states that public campaigns should only begin 150 days before election day and must end 24 hours before voting.
Falana called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police Force, and the State Security Service (SSS) to rise to the occasion and strictly enforce the law by halting all ongoing premature campaigns.“The governance of this country must take priority over premature political celebrations,” he stressed.