The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Professor Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), “to urgently disclose whether the Commission has exercised its statutory power to prescribe limits on political contributions under section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026, and, if so, to publish the applicable limits and widely communicate them to political parties, candidates, donors and the Nigerian public.”
SERAP urged INEC “to disclose the systems, personnel and procedures it has put in place to monitor, investigate and enforce compliance with political contribution and campaign expenditure limits during the ongoing 2027 electoral process.”
SERAP also urged INEC “to disclose its methodology for monitoring political financing, including arrangements for identifying and addressing cash and in-kind contributions, digital and social-media financing, third-party expenditure, and donations through intermediaries that could potentially circumvent statutory limits.”
In a Freedom of Information request dated 22 August 2026 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “greater transparency in political financing is essential to ensuring that the 2027 elections are conducted on a level playing field and that citizens are able to make free and informed political choices.”
SERAP said, “INEC’s constitutional responsibility is not simply to receive financial statements from political parties. The Constitution requires the Commission to examine political-party finances, conduct necessary investigations and report to the National Assembly.”
According to SERAP, “Publishing these reports would enable Nigerians to know whether these constitutional and statutory responsibilities have been effectively discharged.”
The statement, read in part: “Voters, journalists and civil-society organisations cannot effectively scrutinise political financing if the applicable limits are not easily accessible or if there is no publicly known mechanism for monitoring compliance.”
“The increasing monetisation of Nigeria’s elections, alongside the potential misuse of state institutions, poses serious threats to democratic integrity and electoral competition.”
“The information requested would enable citizens to identify excessive, undisclosed or potentially illicit political financing before it can distort electoral competition, rather than only after votes have been cast.”
“Effective political-finance regulation is an important safeguard for constitutional democracy, equality of political participation, freedom of expression and association, electoral integrity and citizens’ meaningful participation in public affairs.”
“We would be grateful if the requested information is provided within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and INEC to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“Nigeria has a persistent problem of political parties failing to disclose campaign contributions. Such non-compliance has been described as systemic, while the absence of clear and effective sanctions for default has weakened INEC’s ability to enforce compliance.”
“Nigeria has long faced serious challenges in regulating political finance, including concerns about excessive campaign spending, opaque sources of political funding, weak disclosure and reporting, and limited enforcement of statutory spending and contribution rules.”
“These concerns are particularly significant given the scale of campaign expenditure and changes in the statutory spending and contribution thresholds under Nigeria’s constitutional and evolving electoral framework.”
“These concerns are particularly significant given the scale of campaign expenditure and changes in the statutory spending and contribution thresholds under Nigeria’s constitutional and evolving electoral framework.”
“It remains unclear whether INEC has prescribed, clearly published and effectively monitored the applicable contribution limits, and whether political parties and candidates can be held accountable for contributions and expenditure that exceed applicable limits or are deliberately concealed.”
“Transparency about the financial affairs of political parties is particularly important because political parties are central to the exercise of citizens’ constitutional rights to participate in public affairs and to form and belong to political associations.”
“Citizens cannot meaningfully exercise their political rights if undisclosed or excessive financial resources are allowed to distort the political process.”
“The requested information concerns the discharge of INEC’s constitutional and statutory responsibilities, the financing of political parties and candidates, and the integrity of the electoral process.”
“Political parties, candidates and their supporters are already mobilising resources, soliciting contributions, organising political activities, purchasing media and digital advertising, holding rallies and other events, and incurring campaign-related expenditure.”