The battle over political money ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections has taken a legal turn, with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) dragging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
SERAP is demanding that INEC publicly disclose whether it has imposed limits on political contributions under Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2026—and, if so, reveal exactly what those limits are.
The suit, filed as FHC/ABJ/CS/2114/2026, was instituted by SERAP through its lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Kehinde Oyewumi, Andrew Nwankwo and Valentina Adegoke. No hearing date has yet been fixed.
At the heart of the lawsuit is a question SERAP says Nigerians deserve answered before political campaigns gather momentum: How much money can individuals and organisations legally pour into Nigeria’s electoral process?
The organisation is asking the court to compel INEC to disclose not only any contribution limits it has prescribed, but also the systems it has established to monitor political donations, investigate breaches and enforce compliance with campaign-finance rules.
SERAP is also seeking the publication of political parties’ latest financial records, including audited accounts, sources of funding, assets, liabilities and election expenditure returns covering 2023 to 2025.
The organisation further wants INEC to release its examination and audit reports, including reports submitted to the National Assembly, as well as details of enforcement actions taken over alleged political-finance violations.
SERAP argues that without access to such information, voters, journalists and civil society groups will face difficulties scrutinising how political parties and candidates raise and spend money ahead of the 2027 elections.
The organisation maintains that transparency in political financing is essential to enabling citizens to make informed political choices and ensuring that financial resources do not distort the electoral process.
SERAP is also pressing INEC to explain how any contribution limits were determined and how the commission intends to police political financing during the campaign period.
That scrutiny, according to the organisation, should extend beyond conventional cash donations to include in-kind contributions, digital and social-media advertising, political consultants and third-party campaign spending.
SERAP further argues that INEC’s constitutional responsibilities go beyond collecting financial statements from political parties. It says the commission is required to examine party finances and conduct investigations where necessary.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the lawsuit could put political financing under sharper public scrutiny as parties, candidates, donors and campaign organisations prepare for another major electoral contest.
For SERAP, the issue is straightforward: Nigerians should not have to guess how political money is raised, how much can legally be contributed, or what INEC is doing to ensure compliance with the rules.
SERAP Drags INEC to Court Over Secret Political Funding Limits
