The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, has condemned the premature campaigns by political parties for the 2027 Nigerian general elections, insisting that they are illegal and detrimental to governance.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise News on Thursday, Itodo pointed out that the law stipulates that premature campaign activities are not allowed.

Itodo described the early engagement of political actors in campaign activities as a clear indication of impunity among the political elite.

According to him, “The law is clear that you should not engage in campaigns, not earlier than 50 days.

“You just look at the entire country. It just feels like we’ve got elections this weekend. And so people have abandoned governance and focused more on politicking and just electioneering.

“INEC has not issued timetable for the 2027 elections. Party primaries have not been conducted.

“Why is it that these actors are involved in what?

“It’s just across the board, and it’s just sad. It just tells you the level of impunity that you’ve got, the political elites that are not playing the game of politics by its rules.”

When asked about the effectiveness of the current $500 penalty for flouting campaign rules, Itodo stated that the penalty is affordable and called for strict punishment.

“It’s not a deterrence. I think that we need to impose stiffer sanctions. The point needs to be made that when premature campaigns become the order of the day, what suffers is governance,” he added.