Politics
Utomi Calls for Jail Terms for Politicians Who Use Public Funds for Campaigns
Professor Pat Utomi says politicians who divert public funds to finance election campaigns should face criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
Political economist and member of the Movement for Credible Elections, Professor Pat Utomi, has called for criminal sanctions, including imprisonment, for politicians who use public funds to finance election campaigns.
Utomi made the call during an interview with ARISE News while discussing Nigeria's electoral system and the challenges facing opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He criticised the use of government resources for political campaigns, arguing that public funds should not be deployed to pursue political ambitions.
“One day I would like to see politicians go to jail for spending public money to run for office,” Utomi said.
He described the alleged practice as “thievery” and “criminality”, arguing that access to state resources can give parties controlling government machinery an advantage over political groups without similar access.
Utomi also identified the deployment of polling agents across the country as a major challenge for opposition parties.
He argued that parties unable to provide agents at polling units could have difficulty independently monitoring proceedings and verifying results in locations where they have no representatives.
“A party that can’t have agents in all of the polling stations in the country is vulnerable to having results written where they are not present,” he said.
He suggested that opposition parties could address the challenge through greater cooperation and resource-sharing to improve their coverage of polling units.
Utomi also stressed the importance of voter awareness, urging Nigerians to understand the significance of their votes and participate actively in elections.
On election monitoring, he advocated greater use of technology, including body cameras and livestreaming at polling units, as measures he believes could improve transparency and provide independent records of electoral proceedings.
His comments come as political parties, civil society groups and other stakeholders intensify discussions on campaign financing, election monitoring and electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.