Another Electioneering Season Beckons On August 19
By Mobolaji Sanusi “Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.”— Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986). After
The 2027 general elections signify a crucial democratic transition, with incumbent President Bola Tinubu, a respected political strategist, seeking re-election. His one-time ally and veteran presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, along with the opposition bloc, will aim to seize power from Tinubu. The electioneering season is set to begin on August 19, 2026, when INEC opens the first phase of the campaign window for presidential and National Assembly contestants.
The second phase, focusing on governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, will commence on September 9. Since August 19, politicians have been engaging in illegal campaign activities, violating the Electoral Act's restrictions on political campaigns and mobilization. Despite the absence of punishment for early campaigns, politicians exploit the loophole created by this absence.
The absence of a clearly enunciated, standardised, and uniform cardinal programme in the manifestos of existing political parties presents an ideological problem. The campaign ground is expected to be filled with laughable falsehoods and promises of white elephant projects that benefit only their initiators.
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