There is a banner suspended in front of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office at Ikeja, Lagos, raising awareness about voter card registration, with the image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the logo of Youth Professionals for Tinubu (YP4T) and the PA General Duty to the President as sponsors.

A source, who didn’t want to be named, shared this with FIJ on Thursday as he visited the office to resolve an issue. The observer expressed concerns over the banner’s non-adherence to INEC’s non-partisan stance and its implications on the commission’s independence.

The banner, which was a voter’s card registration entreaty to the public, had the bold image of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu superimposed on the right side, and the Young Professionals for Tinubu (YP4T) association etched on it as its sponsor, in conjunction with INEC.

“Powered By: PAGD (PA General Duty To the President)” was written on the banner, alongside a message about the ongoing nationwide voters’ registration.

“I don’t think such should be allowed around that office, because INEC is an independent body. It makes no sense, and I think it should be removed,” the visitor at INEC’s office said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is tasked with registering political parties, monitoring campaigns and organising and supervising elections around the federation.

INEC is established as a neutral organisation, and autonomy, which is described as the organisation’s duty to “carry out all its functions independently, free from external control and influence”, is foremost in its published official values.

INEC professes statutory neutrality as stipulated in Section 153 & Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, and allowing partisan materials in its office could compromise or appear to compromise that neutrality.

INEC also has a Voter Education and Publicity Department which is supposed to take on the full responsibility of conducting awareness programmes, and it is its duty to provide neutral and civic focused voter education.

FIJ called Sam Olumekun, the INEC commissioner in Lagos, and sent text messages on Thursday. There was no response at press time.

Ahead of the 2027 elections, campaign rhetoric has gained momentum online, often in subliminal forms. This has garnered reactions from citizens, who are often unimpressed with the premature and sometimes manipulative tactics employed by political parties to secure supporters.