The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently disclose whether it has exercised its statutory powers to prescribe limits on political contributions under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
SERAP also called on the electoral commission, chaired by Professor Joash Amupitan, to publish the applicable contribution limits and widely communicate them to political parties, candidates, donors and the Nigerian public.
The organisation made the demands in a statement on Sunday, amid growing concerns over political financing and the increasing monetisation of elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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 electoral process.
It further asked the commission to make public its methodology for monitoring political financing, including mechanisms for identifying and addressing cash and in-kind contributions, digital and social-media financing, third-party expenditure and donations channelled through intermediaries to potentially circumvent statutory limits.
According to SERAP, greater transparency in political financing is essential to ensuring that the 2027 elections are conducted on a level playing field and that Nigerians are able to make free and informed political choices.
The organisation stressed that INEC’s constitutional responsibility goes beyond merely receiving financial statements from political parties.
“The Constitution requires the Commission to examine political-party finances, conduct necessary investigations and report to the National Assembly,” SERAP said.
It urged INEC to publish relevant financial reports, arguing that doing so would enable Nigerians to assess whether the commission had effectively discharged its constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
SERAP said voters, journalists and civil society organisations could not effectively scrutinise political financing where applicable limits were not easily accessible or where there was no publicly known mechanism for monitoring compliance.
It warned that the increasing monetisation of Nigerian elections, coupled with the potential misuse of state institutions, posed serious threats to democratic integrity and fair electoral competition.
SERAP maintained that transparent and effective regulation of political financing would strengthen public confidence in the electoral process and help safeguard the credibility of the 2027 elections.
