The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission before the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order compelling the electoral body to investigate allegations that about ₦800bn from Federation Account Allocation Committee allocations was diverted by governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress for political campaigns.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1426/2026, was filed against INEC over claims that APC governors allegedly made monthly deductions from their FAAC allocations into a fund reportedly created to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
SERAP disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The organisation is asking the court to direct INEC to investigate the allegations and determine whether any provisions of the Electoral Act and other relevant laws were violated.
It also urged the court to compel the electoral commission to obtain full disclosure from the affected governors and the APC on all contributions made to campaign-related funds, including the identities of donors and the sources of the money.
The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, further seeks an order directing INEC to carry out a comprehensive review of compliance with Section 91 of the Electoral Act on campaign financing, political donations and funding sources ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to SERAP, the allegations raise serious concerns over political finance transparency, electoral fairness and the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.
The organisation argued that the alleged diversion of public funds for political purposes, if established, would amount to an abuse of state resources capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
It maintained that Nigerians have a constitutional right to know who finances political parties and candidates, stressing that transparency in campaign funding is critical to preventing corruption and undue political influence.
“The allegations raise serious concerns about political finance transparency, electoral fairness, and the constitutional right of Nigerians to participate freely in their own government,” SERAP said.
It added that opaque political financing creates opportunities for corruption and could distort electoral competition by giving some political actors unfair advantages.
SERAP further argued that the alleged diversion or opaque use of public funds poses “a grave risk to the integrity of the 2027 general elections.”
The organisation contended that the size of the alleged financial transactions, coupled with weak disclosure mechanisms, provides sufficient grounds for INEC to invoke its constitutional and statutory powers to investigate the matter.
Citing Section 91 of the Electoral Act, SERAP noted that INEC has the legal authority to regulate political donations, demand disclosure of funding sources and sanction political parties or individuals who exceed statutory contribution limits.
The group added that the law prescribes penalties, including fines and forfeiture of excess funds, for violations of campaign finance regulations.
SERAP also relied on provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the United Nations Convention against Corruption to argue that public institutions have a duty to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness in electoral processes.
It accused INEC of failing to proactively enforce safeguards against political finance abuses, warning that continued inaction could erode public trust in Nigeria’s electoral system.
“No individual or political party should be allowed to exceed legally prescribed contribution limits, whether directly or indirectly, and there must be full transparency regarding the origin and scale of political funding,” the organisation stated.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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