Rights Group Asks Court To Compel INEC To Probe Alleged N800bn FAAC Diversion For Campaign

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate allegations that governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) diverted about N800 billion from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations for political and campaign purposes.

SERAP in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1426/2026 is seeking an order of mandamus directing the electoral authorities to investigate claims that APC governors contributed monthly from their FAAC allocations into a dedicated campaign fund allegedly established to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

The civil society organisations also urged the court to compel INEC to demand full disclosure from the governors and the APC on the alleged campaign fund, including the identities of the donors and the lawful sources of the money.

SERAP further asked the court to order INEC to begin a formal review and investigation into compliance with Section 91 of the Electoral Act by political parties and candidates, especially regarding the sources and scale of campaign financing ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In the originating processes, SERAP argued that the allegations raised serious concerns about political finance transparency, electoral fairness, and Nigerians’ constitutional right to participate freely in the democratic process.

The organisation further maintained that the alleged diversion or opaque use of public funds posed “a grave risk to the integrity of the 2027 general elections.”

The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, contended that the scale of the alleged financial contributions, combined with weak transparency and oversight mechanisms, provides sufficient grounds for INEC to exercise its constitutional and statutory investigative powers.

It maintained that Section 91 of the Electoral Act empowers and obliges INEC to regulate political donations, demand disclosure of campaign contributions and their sources, and enforce sanctions where donation limits are exceeded.

The organisation argued that political finance in Nigeria continues to suffer from inadequate transparency and weak enforcement, creating opportunities for the misuse of public resources for political purposes.

It further submitted that the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption impose obligations on INEC to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in campaign financing.

SERAP averred that when there are allegations that public funds have been diverted to finance political activities, INEC has a constitutional duty to investigate to protect the integrity of the electoral process.

The group also argued that the Commission’s failure to enforce campaign finance provisions proactively undermines public confidence in electoral institutions and threatens the credibility of the 2027 general elections. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.