SERAP To INEC: Deliver Free, Fair 2027 Elections As Rights Group Unveils Key Demands

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disclose whether it has established limits on political donations ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In a Freedom of Information request dated August 22, 2026, and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation also urged INEC to publish the limits and ensure they are accessible to political parties, candidates, donors and the Nigerian public.

SERAP said the disclosure would help strengthen transparency and prevent excessive financial influence from compromising the electoral process.

The organisation also asked INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to reveal the systems, personnel and procedures put in place to monitor and enforce compliance with political contribution and campaign expenditure limits.

It wants the electoral commission to explain how it intends to track both cash and non-cash donations, digital and social media funding, third-party expenditure, as well as contributions made through intermediaries.

According to SERAP, Nigerians deserve to know how political financing will be monitored before the 2027 elections rather than waiting until after the polls.

SERAP argued that INEC’s constitutional responsibility goes beyond simply receiving financial statements from political parties. It said the Constitution mandates the commission to examine party finances, carry out necessary investigations and submit reports to the National Assembly.

The organisation expressed concern over what it described as the continued failure of political parties to adequately disclose campaign contributions.

SERAP said Nigeria has a longstanding problem of poor disclosure of political donations, describing the situation as systemic and noting that the lack of clear and effective sanctions has weakened INEC’s ability to enforce compliance.

It further identified excessive campaign spending, undisclosed sources of political funding, inadequate financial reporting and weak enforcement of existing regulations as persistent challenges facing Nigeria’s political-financing system.

The organisation also warned that spending limits could be deliberately circumvented, while violations may go undetected or fail to attract effective sanctions.

SERAP questioned whether INEC has clearly established, published and effectively monitored applicable contribution limits, as well as whether political parties and candidates can be held accountable for exceeding or deliberately concealing contributions and campaign expenditure.

The organisation stressed that statutory spending and donation limits should not merely serve as accounting requirements after elections. Rather, it said they are intended to curb excessive financial influence while electoral competition is still ongoing.

SERAP warned that it would institute legal proceedings against INEC if the commission failed to provide the requested information within seven days of receiving or publishing the request.

Full List of SERAP’s Demands

SERAP is asking INEC to:

1. Disclose and publish all political contribution limits prescribed under Section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
2. Release the latest detailed financial statements of political parties, including information on their assets and liabilities, sources of funding and other assets and expenditures submitted to INEC.
3. Publish political parties’ latest financial records, including annual statements, audited accounts and election expenditure returns covering 2023 to 2025.
4. Publish its examination and audit reports under Sections 225 and 226, including annual reports submitted to the National Assembly between 2023 and 2025.
5. Disclose enforcement actions taken in response to violations of political-finance and campaign-expenditure regulations.
6. Publish its political-finance monitoring plan for the 2027 elections, including arrangements for real-time or near-real-time monitoring and cooperation with anti-corruption bodies, financial-intelligence agencies, regulators and law-enforcement authorities.
7. Disclose the political parties that submitted reports of contributions received after the 2023 General Elections, including the dates the reports were submitted and actions taken against parties that failed to meet the statutory deadline. SERAP also wants information on reported non-compliance involving the majority of parties that sponsored candidates in the elections.