The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognised David Mark as the new National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Rauf Aregbesola as its National Secretary.
The confirmation was reflected on INEC’s official website on Wednesday, after the party complied with the commission’s guidelines for leadership changes. This comes after INEC had earlier rejected the new ADC leadership for failing to meet its requirements.
Meanwhile, INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has raised concerns over what he described as early political campaigns by parties, warning that such actions pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking during a one-day roundtable on the challenges of premature campaigns held at the Electoral Institute in Abuja, Yakubu said the trend violates provisions of the law. He cited Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which prohibits the commencement of campaigns earlier than 150 days before an election.
“Political parties, candidates, and their supporters seem to be in perpetual campaign mode, even when the commission is yet to release the timetable and schedule of activities for elections,” he noted.
Yakubu further observed that across the country there have been outdoor adverts, media campaigns, and rallies promoting parties and candidates, stressing that such activities weaken INEC’s ability to monitor campaign spending.
“These actions undermine our ability to track campaign finance limits as huge sums of money are already being spent by politicians, aspirants, and third-party agents before the official campaign period,” he said.
He lamented that while Nigerians expect the commission to sanction offenders, it is constrained by gaps in the legal framework.
“The major challenge for the commission is the law itself,” he explained. “There is no sanction whatsoever for campaigns that begin earlier than 150 days to an election. This is the difficulty the commission faces in addressing early campaigns.”
Yakubu admitted that early campaigning is not a new problem but emphasised that the failure of regulatory bodies to act within current legal limits calls for deeper evaluation.
“With the National Assembly currently reviewing our electoral laws, the commission has invited the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters,” he revealed. “I am confident they will give due consideration to actionable recommendations from experts.”
