Nigeria’s leading civil rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has given the electoral commission seven days to reveal whether it has set caps on political donations ahead of next year’s general elections, warning that unchecked money in politics threatens to distort the outcome before voters ever reach the polls.
SERAP sent a Freedom of Information request on August 22, 2026, addressed to INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan, pressing the commission to clarify whether it has used its authority under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026, to limit how much individuals can donate to political parties and candidates.
SERAP said if such limits exist, it wants them published prominently and communicated to parties, candidates, donors and the public.
SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, who signed the letter, argued that transparency in campaign financing is central to a fair contest in 2027, saying it would let citizens “make free and informed political choices.”
The request goes beyond contribution caps. SERAP is also asking INEC to explain what systems, staff and procedures are in place to monitor and enforce spending rules during the current election cycle — covering everything from cash and in-kind donations to social media advertising, paid consultants and spending funnelled through third parties.
The group framed the request as rooted in constitutional duty, not mere formality. It noted that INEC is obligated not just to collect financial statements from parties but to actively examine them, investigate irregularities, and report findings to the National Assembly — obligations SERAP says flow from Section 226 of the 1999 Constitution, which requires an annual accounting of party finances and gives INEC’s agents access to party books and records.
SERAP pointed to a pattern of weak enforcement in past election cycles, describing non-disclosure of campaign contributions by parties as a systemic problem worsened by the absence of meaningful sanctions.
The organization said prior assessments of Nigerian elections have repeatedly found gaps between what the law requires and what actually happens on the ground, with spending limits often circumvented and violations rarely punished.
“Citizens cannot meaningfully exercise their political rights if undisclosed or excessive financial resources are allowed to distort the political process,” the group said in its statement.
SERAP grounded its appeal partly in international law, citing Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to participate in public affairs and vote in genuine elections, along with Articles 9 and 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, covering access to information and political participation.
Among its specific demands, SERAP wants INEC to publish any contribution limits set under Section 91, release parties’ financial statements and audited accounts for 2023–2025, make public its examination and audit reports to the National Assembly, disclose any enforcement actions taken over finance violations, and detail its monitoring plan for the 2027 cycle — including which parties complied with post-2023 reporting deadlines and what, if anything, was done about those that didn’t.
SERAP warned that if INEC fails to respond within seven days of receiving the letter, it will pursue legal action to compel compliance.
