SERAP Asks Court To Make INEC Disclose Political Donation Limits

A group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disclose the systems and procedures it has put in place to monitor, investigate, and enforce compliance with political contribution and campaign spending limits ahead of the 2027 general elections.

SERAP, in a case marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2114/2026, specifically seeks an order of mandamus compelling INEC to publish any contribution limits it has established under Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2026 and to disclose the measures it has implemented to oversee and enforce compliance by political parties, candidates, and donors.

The civil society organisation, in the suit which is yet to be assigned to a judge, criticised INEC for failing to respond to its open letter seeking public clarification on whether it had used its legal authority to impose limits on political donations.

SERAP also sought an order of mandamus directing INEC to disclose any applicable contribution limits and the actions taken to communicate these to political parties, candidates, donors, and the public.

The organisation further urged the court to order INEC to disclose the latest financial statements, audited accounts, sources of funds, assets, liabilities, and election expenditure reports of political parties from 2023 to 2025.

It also called for the release of INEC’s examination and audit reports under Sections 225 and 226 of the Constitution, including reports submitted to the National Assembly, along with details of any enforcement actions taken regarding alleged violations in political finance.

SERAP further requested the court to compel INEC to disclose details of political parties that submitted post-2023 contribution reports, the dates of submission, and actions taken against parties that allegedly failed to comply with reporting statutes.

Section 91(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 authorises INEC to impose limits on the amount of money or other assets an individual may contribute to a political party or candidate, as well as to request information on the contributions’ amounts and sources. The following subsection prescribes sanctions for exceeding the limits set by the Commission.

Under Section 226(1) of the Constitution, INEC must annually prepare and submit reports on the accounts and balance sheets of political parties to the National Assembly. The provision also requires the Commission to conduct investigations to ensure parties maintain proper records.

SERAP, in an affidavit attached to the suit, argued that the lack of publicly available information on contribution limits hampers voters’, journalists’, and civil society’s ability to scrutinise political financing.

It also claimed that transparency in political financing is essential for citizens to scrutinise the origins and scale of funds entering the political process before such funds influence electoral competition.

The organisation further maintained that statutory limits on political contributions and campaign spending are designed not only to ensure accountability post-election but also to prevent undue financial influence during the electoral process.

It stressed that political parties and candidates are already mobilising resources and incurring campaign expenses ahead of the 2027 elections, making the timely disclosure and enforcement of the rules crucial.

SERAP insisted that revealing this information will allow citizens to scrutinise political financing and verify that contribution and expenditure guidelines are being followed before the elections.

The organisation also cited Nigeria’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights concerning citizen participation and access to information.

SERAP called on the court to grant the requested reliefs, arguing that effective monitoring and transparency in political financing are fundamental to ensuring electoral fairness and accountability.