…Petitioner demands probe of donors, vehicle ownership, valuation and funding sources
Ayomide Awe
A fresh campaign-finance controversy has erupted in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, following a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking an investigation into 119 vehicles publicly acknowledged as donations to the campaign of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
The petition, dated September 30, 2026, and addressed to the Zonal Director of the EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Directorate, was submitted by a politician, Adekunle Shomorin, who described himself as a concerned citizen resident in Ogun State.
Shomorin asked the anti-graft agency to establish the identities of the donors, ownership of the vehicles, their actual market values, sources of funds used for their acquisition and whether the donations complied with the Electoral Act 2026 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The petition followed Adeola’s September 28 statement thanking 22 individuals, companies and groups for donating a total of 119 vehicles, including buses, to support his campaign and grassroots mobilisation across Ogun State.
According to the published list, businessman Akintunde Armstrong was credited with 26 buses, while Alhaji IBD Dende was listed as having donated seven buses and an ambulance.
Zacobass Oil & Gas, Stonebridge Engineering Services Limited, Elele Ijebu, Amazon Luxury Apartments, Mr Osho and Polanco were each listed as contributors of 10 buses.
A major focus of the petition is the 26 buses attributed to Armstrong.
Shomorin used an 18-seater Toyota Hiace as a benchmark and estimated that 26 vehicles valued at N28m each would be worth about N728m.
The petitioner therefore contended that, if the vehicles were donations to Adeola’s campaign at that value, the contribution would exceed the N500m maximum donation permitted to an individual or entity under Section 92(8) of the Electoral Act 2026.
The law provides that an individual or other entity shall not donate more than N500m to a candidate. It separately places the maximum election expenditure for a governorship candidate at N3bn.
However, the petitioner’s valuation remains an allegation requiring verification. The actual market value of the vehicles, whether they were purchased specifically for the campaign, their ownership arrangements and how the transactions are legally characterised would have to be established by the relevant authorities.
...119 vehicles worth N3.3bn?
The petitioner also raised questions over the aggregate value of the 119 vehicles.
Using his N28m-per-vehicle benchmark, he calculated that the entire fleet could be worth approximately N3.33bn.
He urged the EFCC to establish the actual commercial value of the vehicles and determine whether their acquisition and deployment constituted campaign expenditure or contributions for the purposes of the law.
The Electoral Act 2026 caps election expenditure by a governorship candidate at N3bn. The provision on donations, however, is separate from the candidate’s overall expenditure ceiling.
The distinction is significant because the value of donated assets does not, by itself, establish a breach of either provision. The relevant authorities would need to determine how the vehicles were acquired, accounted for and treated under the campaign-finance rules.
...Petitioner questions ‘nicknamed’ donors
Shomorin also questioned the identities of some contributors listed in Adeola’s appreciation statement.
Among the names cited were “Citiside Brother,” “Sanusi Friend,” “Olafem Citi Friend,” “Onaolapo Brother,” “OJ,” “Polanco,” “Elele Ijebu” and “Nafiu Abimbola & Friend.”
The petitioner asked the EFCC to establish the real identities and addresses of such contributors and determine whether they were individuals, companies, groups or representatives of other persons or entities.
He further asked the commission to establish the beneficial ownership of the vehicles, identify those who financed their acquisition and examine whether any of the funds originated from unlawful or undisclosed sources.
...What the law says
Under Section 92 of the Electoral Act 2026, the maximum expenditure for a governorship candidate is N3bn, while an individual or other entity is prohibited from donating more than N500m to a candidate.
The Act also provides sanctions for violations. A candidate who knowingly contravenes the campaign expenditure provision may, upon conviction, face a fine equivalent to one per cent of the permitted expenditure limit, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both. An individual who knowingly exceeds the donation limit may be liable to a fine of five times the amount donated above the prescribed limit.
The National Assembly’s published copy of the Act confirms the N3bn governorship spending ceiling and the N500m individual/entity donation limit.
Adeola had described the vehicle donations as voluntary contributions from supporters and associates, saying the vehicles had been deployed for grassroots mobilisation and outreach across Ogun State.
However, as of the filing of the petition, there was no indication that the EFCC had announced the commencement of an investigation or made any finding against Adeola, Armstrong, Dende or any of the other donors named in the petition.
The petition does not itself establish that any law was breached.
Rather, it has asked the anti-graft agency to verify the claims surrounding the donations, including the identity of donors, ownership and value of the vehicles, sources of funds and compliance with Nigeria’s campaign-finance and anti-money-laundering laws.
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