By Iyoho Emmanuel
ABUJA – The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has warned against the abuse of state administrative resources by incumbent governments ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the practice could undermine the credibility of the electoral process and deny opposition parties a level playing field.
The Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, gave the warning in a policy analysis titled “State Administrative Resources and the 2027 Elections,” in which he called on relevant regulatory and oversight institutions to enforce existing laws against the use of public resources for partisan political activities.
According to him, state administrative resources comprise public resources placed at the disposal of government for the public good, including institutional, fiscal, legislative, regulatory, coercive and media resources.
He stressed that the use of such resources for electioneering campaigns by incumbent political parties was not only illegal and unethical but also contrary to democratic best practices.
Onyekpere cited Section 99(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which provides that state apparatus, including the media, shall not be employed to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate at an election.
He also referred to the Code of Conduct for Political Parties, which requires political parties to discourage their members in government from using the power of incumbency to the disadvantage of other parties or their candidates.
The CSJ director said the provisions were intended to ensure a clear separation between government business and partisan political activities, thereby guaranteeing fairness and equal opportunities for all candidates.
He identified the use of government vehicles, aircraft, helicopters, offices, equipment, buildings, official stationery and other government assets for campaign activities as some of the ways state resources could be abused.
Onyekpere also raised concerns over the deployment of public officials paid with taxpayers’ money to work for political campaigns.
He cited the reported inclusion of Tanimu Yakubu, Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, and Zacheus Adedeji, Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, in President Bola Tinubu’s campaign council, questioning the appropriateness of assigning public officials with critical national responsibilities to partisan campaign duties.
The CSJ lead director also alleged that some governors had recruited large numbers of aides who, although paid from state resources, were expected to work for their re-election campaigns.
He cited reports involving Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Kano State governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf; and Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Eno, who were reportedly associated with the appointment of 1,000, 400 and 368 aides respectively.
He argued that using public funds to pay individuals who subsequently work for the electoral interests of incumbent governors amounted to an abuse of fiscal resources and placed opposition candidates at a disadvantage.
Onyekpere further warned against the use of official government letterheads, coats of arms, insignia and other symbols of public office to canvass political support, insisting that government stationery should be reserved strictly for official government business.
He also condemned alleged pressure on contractors and government service providers to provide financial support for the campaigns of incumbent politicians, warning that such practices could undermine public procurement and service delivery.
According to him, fiscal resources could also be abused through politically motivated salary increases shortly before elections, the release of withheld promotion letters, unsustainable employment into the public service, tax waivers in exchange for political donations, as well as the diversion of public funds through inflated contracts and kickbacks to finance campaigns.
He warned that regulatory and coercive powers could equally be deployed against opposition parties through discriminatory permits for rallies and processions, restrictions on the use of public facilities, selective enforcement of laws and regulations and manipulation of access to public spaces.
Onyekpere alleged that some states had increased the cost of campaign billboard advertisements to levels that could effectively exclude opposition parties, particularly where regulatory agencies were controlled by incumbent administrations.
He also criticised the continued claim by the police to require permits for public rallies, meetings and processions under the Public Order Act, describing the practice as outdated and noting that the courts had previously rejected such powers.
He warned that denying opposition parties access to venues, cancelling previously approved permits at the last minute or imposing restrictions on rallies on questionable security grounds could amount to abuse of state coercive and regulatory powers.
The CSJ chief also raised concerns over the possible misuse of security and law enforcement agencies during electioneering campaigns.
He listed alleged arbitrary freezing of opposition-linked accounts, arrest and detention of opposition figures shortly before elections, discriminatory enforcement of laws and the unveiling of corruption allegations against political opponents without sufficient evidence as possible forms of abuse.
He said the timing of law enforcement actions should be carefully scrutinised, particularly where authorities had previously had opportunities to prosecute individuals but suddenly initiated investigations or charges close to an election.
According to him, frivolous criminal charges could be used to damage the reputation of opposition candidates while simultaneously distracting them from their campaigns and exposing them to the risk of detention or conviction.
He also warned against the abuse of judicial processes through the imposition of excessively harsh bail conditions on opposition figures, saying such measures could keep political opponents away from the campaign trail until after elections.
On media resources, Onyekpere said state-owned media organisations must provide equal opportunities to all political parties and candidates, rather than giving preferential coverage to candidates supported by incumbent governments.
He noted that the Electoral Act 2026 requires equal allocation of media time to political parties and candidates, including equal airtime during prime periods on public electronic media and equal coverage and visibility in public print media.
The CSJ director maintained that these provisions reflected the intention of the legislature to guarantee fairness and equal opportunity in elections.
He, therefore, urged regulatory and oversight agencies to brace up for the enforcement of the law ahead of the 2027 elections.
Onyekpere, however, was concerned hat some institutions saddled with the responsibility of enforcing electoral rules could become partisan or deliberately ignore violations committed by incumbent administrations.
He consequently called on civil society organisations, the media and professional bodies to play their part in protecting the public interest and ensuring that state resources were not deployed to give undue advantage to any political party or candidate.
He said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend not only on the conduct of voters and political parties but also on the willingness of government institutions to respect the boundaries between governance and partisan politics.