- Falana stressed campaigns two years before elections were not recognised in law and undermined Nigeria’s democratic process.
- He insisted INEC had the authority to caution politicians who ignored constitutional timelines for political campaigns.
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has faulted political parties and aspirants for beginning campaigns two years ahead of the 2027 polls.
Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria, spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.
He asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to caution politicians, warning that the Electoral Act 2022 forbade such early activities.
“As far as the Electoral Act, 2022 is concerned, the ongoing election campaign is illegal, totally illegal,” he said.
Falana noted that Nigerians expected governance and stability, not political distractions.
“It’s also diversionary, because what Nigerians expect now, and what the law provides, is governance of the country without disruption,” he added.
The lawyer said politicians in government were not exempt, insisting INEC must remind them of their responsibilities under the law.
“There is no provision yet. There is no room yet for campaigning in Nigeria,” he stressed.
He maintained that campaigns could only begin within the timeframe stipulated by law, unless amended by the National Assembly.
“The media must also help Nigerians by ensuring that when the time for campaigns comes, politicians are taken out of the cocoon of ethnicity, religion, and other primordial considerations,” he said.
Falana challenged politicians to provide solutions to Nigeria’s pressing problems before seeking votes.
“If you say you want to replace those in power, what is your solution to the electricity crisis, the crisis in the education system, the bad roads, and other problems confronting Nigeria?” he asked.
He further said those in authority owed citizens a duty to govern effectively before talking about elections.
“When is the government going to govern the country? And that is why the law has set out when election campaigns will start, when they can end. It cannot be a business of four years,” Falana said.
The senior advocate dismissed zoning or rotation debates, describing them as unhelpful.
“You insult Nigerians when you hand over the politics of the country to a few people to decide who should govern, for how many years, which side of the country or which religious group should rule,” he said.
He urged politicians to focus on solving national challenges and upholding constitutional provisions that placed citizens’ security and welfare above politics.