The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has been asked to disclose and publish limits on political donations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The call came from a Lagos-based rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated August 22, 2026 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, which also urged INEC to clarify whether it has exercised its statutory power to set contribution limits under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
SERAP demanded that if such limits have been prescribed, the Commission should immediately publish them and circulate them to political parties, candidates, donors, and the Nigerian public.
The human rights group further prayed to INEC to reveal the systems, personnel, and procedures put in place to monitor, investigate and enforce compliance with political contribution and campaign expenditure limits during the ongoing 2027 electoral process.
SERAP insisted that INEC must reveal its methodology for tracking political financing, including cash and in-kind donations, digital and social media campaign spending, third-party expenditure, and donations made through intermediaries to circumvent legal limits.
The group stated that, “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.”
It argued that INEC’s constitutional duty goes beyond receiving financial statements from parties. Citing Sections 225 and 226 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), just as it noted that the Commission is mandated to examine party finances, conduct investigations, and submit annual reports to the National Assembly.
In its words: “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 statement issued a warning that the increasing monetisation of Nigeria’s elections and potential misuse of state institutions pose serious threats to democratic integrity and fair competition.