SERAP Demands Court Ordered Probe Into Alleged ₦800bn INEC Diversion Scandal

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has taken decisive action by urging the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate significant allegations of financial impropriety. SERAP's suit specifically seeks to compel INEC to look into claims that governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) diverted approximately N800 billion from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations. These substantial funds are alleged to have been channeled for political and campaign purposes, raising serious questions about the use of public resources.

In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1426/2026, SERAP is seeking an order of mandamus. This order would direct the electoral authorities to formally investigate claims that APC governors made monthly contributions from their FAAC allocations into a dedicated campaign fund. This fund was allegedly established to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid. Furthermore, the civil society organization has urged the court to compel INEC to demand full disclosure from both the governors and the APC regarding this alleged campaign fund, specifically requesting details on the identities of donors and the lawful sources of the money.

SERAP has also asked the court to instruct INEC to initiate a formal review and investigation into compliance with Section 91 of the Electoral Act. This review would focus on political parties and candidates, particularly concerning the sources and scale of campaign financing in anticipation of the 2027 general elections. In its originating processes, SERAP argued that these allegations are not merely financial irregularities but raise profound concerns over political finance transparency, electoral fairness, and the fundamental constitutional right of Nigerians to freely participate in the democratic process. The organization underscored that the alleged diversion or opaque use of public funds poses "a grave risk to the integrity of the 2027 general elections."

Filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, the suit contended that the magnitude of the alleged financial contributions, combined with existing weak transparency and oversight mechanisms, provides sufficient grounds for INEC to exercise its constitutional and statutory investigative powers. SERAP firmly maintained that Section 91 of the Electoral Act explicitly empowers and obliges INEC to regulate political donations, demand the disclosure of campaign contributions and their sources, and enforce sanctions when donation limits are exceeded. This legal framework, SERAP argues, underscores INEC's responsibility in such matters.

The organization further elaborated that political finance in Nigeria continues to suffer from inadequate transparency and weak enforcement, creating fertile ground for the misuse of public resources for political ends. SERAP submitted that numerous legal and international instruments, including the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, impose clear obligations on INEC to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in campaign financing. These obligations are central to maintaining a credible electoral system.

SERAP averred that in cases where allegations arise regarding the diversion of public funds to finance political activities, INEC bears a constitutional duty to investigate these claims to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process. The group also argued that the commission’s failure to proactively enforce campaign finance provisions severely undermines public confidence in electoral institutions and directly threatens the credibility of the upcoming 2027 general elections. As of now, no specific date has been fixed for the hearing of this crucial suit.