Nigerians have braced up for another round of campaigns as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the official campaign timetable for the 2027 general elections in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
According to the schedule, Presidential and National Assembly Elections Campaign began on Tuesday, August 19, 2026 to end on January 15, 2027, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Campaigns would commence on Wednesday, September 9 and end on Friday, February 5, 2027.
Going by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties, candidates and supporters are prohibited from commencing campaigns before the officially approved dates, and INEC has indicated that violations may attract appropriate sanctions.
Campaigns have already started in different guise either in the name of consultations, thank you visits, town hall meetings or constituency briefings among others. As the campaigns begin in earnest, the Electoral Act 2026 should be well studied and implemented to the latter for the peaceful conduct of the exercise.
As provided in the Electoral Act 2026, adequate security should be provided to all contestants for proper and peaceful conduct of political rallies and processions, while candidates should not be prevented from holding rallies, processions or meetings at any time for their constitutional political purposes. Political campaigns or slogans should be devoid of abusive language to forestall violence among loyalists.
Section 96(3) of the Act says, “Places designated for religious worship, police stations, and public offices shall not be used- (a) For political campaigns, rallies and processions; or (b) To promote, propagate or attack political parties, candidates or their programmes or ideologies”, while section 96 (4) of the Act says, “Masquerades shall not be employed or used by any political party, aspirant or candidate during political campaigns or for any other political purpose”.
The Act in section 99(2) states that, “State apparatus including the media shall not be employed to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate at any election”.
Electoral campaigns by candidates should not fall short of the provisions in section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, which states that , “The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”. This should be their template for the campaigns. They should be able to tell Nigerians how they want to improve our welfare and security. How they will provide social amenities such as electricity, good road network, hospitals, education among others.
In the area of security, they should unveil their plans of ending the protracted farmers’- herders’ crisis, terrorism, banditry. In short, food and physical security, which are imperative to development. They should let the electorate know how they would minimize poverty, unemployment, inflation, corruption and enhance development.
Campaigns for next year’s elections are expected to shift from the dominant empty campaign promises, which are often quickly forgotten as soon as elections are over to issue-based campaigns. This is because, the empty promises have created political apathy among many electorate, hence some citizens no longer vote as their civic responsibility.
As the campaigns began, Nigerians expect the candidates to engage the people on policy, development plans and practical solutions rather than resorting to hate speech, ethnic and religious mobilization and divisive rhetoric.
Campaigns should focus more on the future of the country, not another cycle of empty promises. The candidates and their supporters need to conduct their campaigns with restraint, decorum, civility and respect for the constitutional rights of opponents and citizens.
Nigerians should know from the candidates in clear and measurable terms what each of the candidates will do differently if elected and how such programmes will be funded and implemented. Candidates should go beyond manifestos and slogans and explain the specific strategies, institutions, timelines and resources to be deployed. Candidates must provide detailed strategies for ending terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, farmers’-herders’ crisis and other violent crimes affecting communities across the country.
They should also present economic blue prints that will move Nigeria from an import-dependent and consumption driven economy to one built on production, manufacturing, agriculture, technology and value addition. They must explain how they will reduce inflation, expand employment, attract investment, support small and medium enterprises and create an enabling environment for industries nationwide.
On the side of those seeking re-elections, their scorecards should speak for them. The electorate should be able to point at what they have done and decide whether they are qualified to be given another mandate.
Nigerian youth should also shift from being passive followers and easy tools for causing violence during campaigns but instead, demand economic security, employment opportunities, democratic integrity, mental health and well-being.
