THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to disclose whether the Commission has exercised its statutory power to prescribe limits on political contributions under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
News Point Nigeria reports that SERAP also urged INEC to publish the applicable limits and widely communicate them to political parties, candidates, donors and the Nigerian public.
The organisation made the demand in a Freedom of Information request dated August 22, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
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.
It also asked the electoral commission 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.
SERAP said greater transparency in political financing was 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.
The organisation 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 INEC’s constitutional and statutory responsibilities had been effectively discharged.
The organisation said voters, journalists and civil-society groups could not effectively scrutinise political financing if the applicable limits were not easily accessible or if there was no publicly known mechanism for monitoring compliance.
It added that the increasing monetisation of Nigeria’s elections, alongside the potential misuse of state institutions, posed serious threats to democratic integrity and electoral competition.
SERAP said the requested information would enable citizens to identify excessive, undisclosed or potentially illicit political financing before it could distort electoral competition, rather than only after votes had been cast.
It said effective political-finance regulation was an important safeguard for constitutional democracy, equality of political participation, freedom of expression and association, electoral integrity and citizens’ meaningful participation in public affairs.
SERAP also expressed concern over what it described as Nigeria’s persistent problem of political parties failing to disclose campaign contributions.
“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,” the organisation said.
It further said Nigeria had long faced 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.
SERAP said previous assessments of Nigeria’s elections had identified gaps between the legal framework and its practical implementation, including concerns that spending limits could be circumvented, political-party expenditure was insufficiently regulated or transparently disclosed, and violations were rarely identified and effectively sanctioned.
“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,” it said.
SERAP said transparency about the financial affairs of political parties was particularly important because political parties were central to the exercise of citizens’ constitutional rights to participate in public affairs and to form and belong to political associations.
It noted that political parties, candidates and their supporters were already mobilising resources, soliciting contributions, organising political activities, purchasing media and digital advertising, holding rallies and other events, and incurring campaign-related expenditure.
The organisation therefore urged INEC to disclose how it intends to monitor political financing during the campaign period, including expenditure and contributions involving cash and in-kind contributions, digital and social-media advertising, political and campaign consultants, and third-party campaign expenditure.
SERAP said the existence of statutory limits on political contributions and election expenditure was intended not merely to facilitate retrospective accounting after an election, but to prevent excessive financial influence while political competition was taking place.
It cited Section 91(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which provides that: “The Commission shall have power to place limitation on the amount of money or other assets which an individual can contribute to a political party or candidate and to demand such information on the amount donated and source of the funds.”
It added that Section 91(2) provides sanctions where an individual, candidate or political party exceeds the applicable limit prescribed by INEC.
SERAP said the statutory power given to INEC created an important safeguard against excessive financial influence over political parties and candidates.
“Where INEC has exercised its power under section 91, Nigerians are entitled to know the applicable contribution limits and how the Commission intends to ensure compliance with them,” it said.
SERAP urged INEC to clarify whether it had prescribed contribution limits and, if so, immediately publish them in a prominent and easily accessible location, including on its website.
It also asked the Commission to explain the methodology and criteria used in determining the limits and whether it had considered the need to prevent excessive financial influence, ensure fair electoral competition, address risks of corruption and illicit political financing, and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
The organisation further cited Section 226(1) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended), which imposes an annual obligation on INEC to prepare and submit to the National Assembly a report on the accounts and balance sheets of political parties.
It said Section 226(2) requires INEC to conduct investigations necessary to enable it to form an opinion on whether proper books of account and proper records have been maintained by political parties.
According to SERAP, Section 226(3) gives INEC and its duly authorised agents access to the books, accounts and vouchers of political parties and enables them to require information and explanations necessary for the discharge of these constitutional responsibilities.
SERAP also noted that INEC had released the Notice of Election and the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2027 General Elections, marking an important formal stage in preparations for the elections.
It cited Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees citizens the right to participate in public affairs and to vote and be elected at genuine periodic elections.
It also cited Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which protects the right to receive information, and Article 13, which guarantees the right to participate freely in the government of one’s country.
SERAP therefore urged INEC to:
Disclose and publish any political contribution limits prescribed under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Disclose the latest political parties’ detailed statements on their assets and liabilities and their sources of funds and other assets and expenditure submitted to INEC.
Publish the latest political parties’ financial records, including annual statements, audited accounts and election expenditure returns for 2023–2025.
Publish its Section 225 and 226 examination and audit reports, including annual reports submitted to the National Assembly for 2023–2025.
Disclose any enforcement actions arising from political-finance and expenditure violations.
Disclose its 2027 political-finance monitoring plan, including arrangements for real-time or near-real-time monitoring and cooperation with relevant anti-corruption, financial-intelligence, regulatory and law-enforcement agencies.
Disclose the political parties that submitted their reports of contributions received following the 2023 General Elections, the dates of submission and the action taken against parties that failed to submit the reports within the statutory deadline, including the reported non-compliance by the majority of the parties that sponsored candidates.
SERAP said it would take appropriate legal action to compel INEC to comply with the request if the requested information was not provided within seven days of receiving or publishing the letter.