By Jelili Gbadamosi
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to disclose its rules and measures for regulating political donations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2114/2026, SERAP is seeking an order directing INEC to clarify whether it has exercised its powers under Section 91 of the Electoral Act 2026 to set limits on donations to political parties and candidates.
The organisation is also asking the court to compel the commission to publish any limits already established and disclose how it intends to monitor and enforce compliance.
SERAP further wants INEC to provide details of the systems and procedures it has put in place to track political donations and campaign expenditure, including cash and non-cash contributions, digital advertising and spending by third parties.
The organisation said transparency in political financing was necessary ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that the absence of publicly available information could leave parties, candidates, donors and voters uncertain about the applicable rules.
SERAP is also asking the court to order INEC to publish the latest financial statements and audited accounts of political parties, including their sources of funds, assets, liabilities and election expenditure returns covering 2023 to 2025.
The organisation wants the commission to disclose its examination and audit reports on political parties, including reports submitted to the National Assembly, as well as actions taken against alleged political-finance violations.
SERAP argued that INEC’s constitutional responsibilities extend beyond receiving financial records from political parties, citing Sections 225 and 226 of the Constitution on the commission’s role in examining party finances and reporting its findings.
The organisation said Section 91(1) of the Electoral Act 2026 empowers INEC to limit the amount of money or other assets an individual may donate to a political party or candidate.
It therefore wants the commission to disclose whether it has exercised that power and, if so, publish the applicable limits and compliance mechanisms.
SERAP said the request was particularly relevant as political parties and candidates had begun fundraising and spending ahead of the 2027 elections.
The suit was filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Kehinde Oyewumi, Andrew Nwankwo and Valentina Adegoke.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the suit.
