“Stop Campaigning, Focus on Governance”- Femi Falana calls for halt to political campaigns, urges Tinubu to focus on governance

• Femi Falana has urged Nigerian politicians to stop early campaigning and focus on governance ahead of the 2027 elections.
• He warned that premature campaigns are worsening insecurity and poverty, citing violations of the Electoral Act.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called for an immediate halt to political campaigns across Nigeria, urging elected officials to focus on governance rather than early electioneering.

Falana’s statement comes following the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, and governorship as well as state assembly elections for February 6, 2027.

Despite the elections being months away, Falana expressed concern that political parties have already begun campaigns and are celebrating defections by governors and lawmakers, while governance appears to be neglected.

“This premature abandonment of governance has directly contributed to widespread insecurity, including kidnapping, killings by terrorists and bandits, weak accountability, and deepening poverty,” he said.

He also alleged that public funds are being diverted into illegal campaign activities, noting that several state governments, including authorities in the Federal Capital Territory, have failed to provide counterpart funding required to access a ₦98 billion matching grant from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Falana further reminded political actors of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly Section 98(1), which stipulates that public campaigning should only begin 150 days before election day and end 24 hours before voting.