President Bola Tinubu has asked his teeming supporters to halt their 2027 campaigns until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially makes an announcement.
This came after campaign posters and billboards of Mr Tinubu, including those of his vice, Kashim Shettima, flooded Airport Road in Abuja and parts of Kano State.
Political pundits and analysts have raised concerns about Mr Tinubu’s campaign materials littering and defacing major cities in the country.
Many of the billboards were reportedly sponsored by political groups, associations, and politicians believed to be seeking favour from the presidency.
In a statement on Sunday by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Mr Tinubu expressed dismay at the increasing number of billboards promoting the 2027 campaign for him and Mr Shettima.
He expressed displeasure that some of the billboards, with pictures of him and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, “emblazoned” on them, are springing up — especially in Abuja and Kano.
“While President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima greatly appreciate their teeming and loyal supporters across the country for their enthusiasm and continuing support, the two leaders do not support any campaign that breaches the laws of the land,” Mr Tinubu said.
According to him, the electoral law that guides the conduct of elections and political campaigns forbids any form of campaign for the 2027 general elections.
He said premature campaigning could undermine the integrity of the electoral process and create unfair advantages, explaining that as law-abiding leaders, he and Mr Shettima do not support any action that undermines the nation’s institutions and the electoral process.
“Until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sets the timetable for the 2027 elections, the President has not endorsed or authorised anyone or any group to mount a 2027 campaign for him through any media channel—be it Out-of-Home, print, digital, radio, or television.
“Therefore, we urgently call on individuals and groups funding this 2027 political campaign through the ongoing deployment of materials on billboards nationwide to cease immediately,” the President said.
While noting that he and his Vice are fully committed to delivering the ongoing task of nation-building they have set for themselves, Mr Tinubu further said it was evident in their commitment to economic revitalisation, human capital development, infrastructural renewal, social investment, and national security.
The president, however, added that when the electoral body signals that the processes for the 2027 elections can start, he would duly inform Nigerians of his plans.
Mr Tinubu, who has just spent two years of his first term in office, is expected to seek a second term.
Although he is yet to publicly make his decision known, political observers believe the incumbent will re-contest the seat.
