The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has launched legal action against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The organization is challenging the commission’s inaction regarding reports that All Progressives Congress (APC) governors allegedly siphoned N800 billion from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds for political campaigning.
Court documents filed under number FHC/ABJ/CS/1426/2026 at the Federal High Court in Abuja suggest these governors are redirecting monthly state allocations to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid. SERAP is requesting a mandamus order to force INEC to launch a formal investigation into these claims.
The group seeks to compel INEC to mandate that both the APC and the involved governors disclose all contributions made to their campaign coffers, including identifying donors and verifying the legal status of the funds. Furthermore, the suit demands that the electoral body reviews political parties’ adherence to Section 91 of the Electoral Act, which governs campaign financing and donation limits.
Legal representatives Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, acting on behalf of SERAP, assert that such opaque funding models threaten the 2027 general elections and democratic integrity. They highlight that Section 91 of the Electoral Act provides for strict penalties, including fines of up to ₦10,000,000 for parties and five times the excess amount for individuals who bypass donation limits.
SERAP maintains that the potential misuse of public resources for political gain undermines the constitutional right of citizens to free and fair elections. The organization cites various national and international standards, including the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to argue that INEC has a statutory obligation to prevent financial impropriety in the political process. Currently, no hearing date has been scheduled for the case.
