By Monsurudeeb Olowoopejo
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disclose whether it has prescribed limits on political donations and to publish detailed financial records of political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a Freedom of Information request dated August 22, 2026 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to clarify whether the commission has exercised its statutory power under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026, to limit contributions to political parties and candidates.
The organisation said that, if the limits had been prescribed, INEC should immediately publish them and communicate them widely to political parties, candidates, donors, journalists and the Nigerian public.
SERAP also demanded details of the systems, personnel and procedures established by INEC to monitor, investigate and enforce compliance with political contribution and campaign expenditure limits during the 2027 electoral process.
The group further wants the commission to explain how it intends to monitor cash and in-kind contributions, digital and social-media financing, political and campaign consultants, third-party expenditure and donations channelled through intermediaries that could be used to circumvent statutory limits.
SERAP said greater transparency in political financing was necessary to ensure that the 2027 elections were conducted on a level playing field and that Nigerians were able to make free and informed political choices.
The organisation argued that INEC’s constitutional responsibility goes beyond merely receiving financial statements from political parties, stressing that the commission is required to examine party finances, conduct necessary investigations and report its findings to the National Assembly.
“Publishing these reports would enable Nigerians to know whether these constitutional and statutory responsibilities have been effectively discharged,” SERAP said.
The group warned that the increasing monetisation of elections, combined with the potential misuse of state institutions, posed serious threats to democratic integrity and fair electoral competition.
It said publicly available information on political financing would allow voters, journalists and civil-society organisations to identify excessive, undisclosed or potentially illicit funding before such money could distort electoral competition.
According to SERAP, political-finance regulation is an important safeguard for constitutional democracy, equality of political participation, freedom of expression and association, electoral integrity and meaningful participation in public affairs.
The organisation also raised concerns about what it described as Nigeria’s persistent problems with undisclosed campaign contributions, excessive campaign spending, opaque sources of political funding, weak financial reporting and limited enforcement of existing rules.
It said previous assessments of Nigerian elections had identified gaps between the country’s legal framework and its practical implementation, including concerns that spending limits could be circumvented and that violations were rarely identified and effectively sanctioned.
SERAP said it remained unclear whether INEC had prescribed, clearly published and effectively monitored applicable contribution limits, and whether political parties and candidates could be held accountable for contributions or expenditure exceeding prescribed limits or deliberately concealed from regulators.
SERAP asked INEC to provide the requested information within seven days of receiving or publishing the letter, warning that it would take appropriate legal action if the commission failed to comply.
“SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and INEC to comply with our request in the public interest,” the organisation said.
At the centre of the request is Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026, which SERAP said empowers INEC to place limits on the amount of money or other assets an individual can contribute to a political party or candidate and to demand information on the amount donated and the source of funds.
The organisation said the provision was designed to prevent excessive financial influence over political parties and candidates and should therefore be actively implemented rather than treated merely as a mechanism for retrospective accounting after an election.
SERAP urged INEC to explain the methodology and criteria used in determining any contribution limits, including whether the commission had considered the need to prevent excessive financial influence, promote fair competition, address corruption and illicit political financing, and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
Beyond donation limits, SERAP wants INEC to publish the latest detailed statements submitted by political parties on their assets and liabilities, sources of funds and other assets, as well as expenditure.
It also requested the publication of parties’ annual statements, audited accounts and election expenditure returns for 2023 to 2025.
The group wants INEC’s examination and audit reports under Sections 225 and 226 of the Constitution, including annual reports submitted to the National Assembly between 2023 and 2025, made public.
SERAP also requested disclosure of enforcement actions arising from political-finance and expenditure violations.
It further wants INEC to publish its 2027 political-finance monitoring plan, including arrangements for real-time or near-real-time monitoring and cooperation with anti-corruption, financial-intelligence, regulatory and law-enforcement agencies.
The organisation asked the commission to identify political parties that submitted reports of contributions received after the 2023 general elections, the dates of submission and the action taken against parties that failed to submit the reports within the statutory deadline.
SERAP said this was particularly important amid concerns over reported non-compliance by a majority of parties that sponsored candidates in the 2023 elections.
The rights group said 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.
It therefore urged INEC to demonstrate how it would monitor political financing while the electoral contest was underway rather than waiting until after the votes had been cast.
“The existence of statutory limits on political contributions and election expenditure is intended not merely to facilitate retrospective accounting after an election but to prevent excessive financial influence while political competition is taking place,” SERAP said.
INEC formally commenced the 2027 electoral process in February, announcing the timetable and schedule of activities for the general elections. The commission has said the electoral process is being conducted within its constitutional mandate and the applicable electoral framework.
SERAP’s demand comes as political actors intensify preparations for the 2027 polls, placing renewed focus on the role of money in Nigerian elections and the ability of electoral regulators to ensure that financial power does not overwhelm the principle of equal political competition.
The organisation said transparency in the financing of political parties was essential because parties and candidates play a central role in citizens’ constitutional right to participate in public affairs.
It added that Nigerians could not meaningfully exercise their political rights if undisclosed or excessive financial resources were allowed to distort the political process.
SERAP’s request also invokes Nigeria’s international obligations, including provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights protecting political participation and access to information.
The group said the information it is seeking concerns the discharge of INEC’s constitutional and statutory responsibilities, the financing of political parties and candidates, and, ultimately, the integrity of the 2027 electoral process.