SERAP Drags INEC to Court Over Secret Political Donation Limits Ahead of 2027
Nigeria's democracy watchdog, SERAP, has fired a legal missile at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding full transparency on political donation limits before the 2027 elections. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, asking the court to force INEC to come clean on whether it has set contribution caps under Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2026.
This is about our money, our votes, and our power. SERAP is not playing games, and neither should INEC. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2114/2026, was filed last week, and the organisation is demanding that INEC disclose the specific limits, if any, and how it plans to communicate them to political parties, candidates, donors, and the Nigerian public.
Why is SERAP taking INEC to court over political financing?
SERAP argues that without clear limits on political contributions, the 2027 elections cannot be a level playing field. In a statement by Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation insisted that Nigerians deserve to know how political parties are funded and whether INEC is actually doing its job.
The group's lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Kehinde Oyewumi, Andrew Nwankwo, and Valentina Adegoke, are also pushing the court to compel INEC to release political parties' latest financial statements, audited accounts, sources of funds, assets, liabilities, and election-expenditure returns for 2023-2025. That is the kind of transparency that separates a real democracy from a rubber stamp.
Greater transparency in political financing is essential to ensuring that the 2027 elections are conducted on a level playing field and that citizens are able to make free and informed political choices, SERAP stated.
What does the law say about INEC's duties?
Section 91(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 gives INEC the power to place limits on how much any individual can contribute to a political party or candidate. Section 91(2) provides sanctions for anyone who crosses those limits. But here is the problem: if INEC has set these limits, it has not told anyone. And if it has not set them, that is a dereliction of duty.
SERAP is also citing Sections 225 and 226 of the Nigerian Constitution, which require INEC to examine political-party finances, conduct investigations, and report to the National Assembly annually. The organisation wants those reports published so Nigerians can see whether INEC is truly holding parties accountable or just collecting papers and filing them away.
What happens next in the SERAP vs INEC case?
No date has been fixed for the hearing yet, but the stakes are clear. SERAP is asking the court to compel INEC to disclose its political-finance monitoring and enforcement arrangements for 2027, including which parties submitted post-2023 contribution reports, when they submitted them, and what action was taken against those that failed to comply.
This is not just about paperwork. It is about whether we, the people, can scrutinise the money flowing into our politics before we cast our votes. If INEC has nothing to hide, let it show us the books. If it does have something to hide, the court will do its job.
Frequently asked questions about the SERAP lawsuit against INEC
What is SERAP demanding from INEC?
SERAP is demanding that INEC disclose the political-contribution limits prescribed under Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2026, as well as political parties' financial statements, audited accounts, and enforcement actions taken against violators.
Why is this important for the 2027 elections?
Without public knowledge of donation limits and monitoring systems, voters cannot make fully informed choices, and the electoral process risks being skewed in favour of big money.
What legal basis does SERAP have for this suit?
SERAP cites Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2026 and Sections 225 and 226 of the Nigerian Constitution, which impose transparency and reporting obligations on INEC regarding political-party finances.
