The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), seeking a court order compelling the electoral body to investigate allegations that governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) diverted about ₦800 billion from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds for political campaign purposes.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1426/2026, was filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja and was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
According to the organisation, media reports alleged that APC governors have been making monthly deductions from their FAAC allocations into a dedicated campaign fund to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
As part of its court filings, SERAP attached a May 17, 2026 opinion article by Premium Times columnist Festus Adedayo, which referenced claims that approximately ₦800 billion earmarked for the President’s re-election campaign was misappropriated and funded through contributions from APC-controlled states.
In the suit, SERAP is asking the court to compel INEC to investigate the allegations and require both the APC and the affected governors to disclose the identities of donors, details of contributions, and the lawful sources of all funds paid into any campaign account.
The organisation also wants the court to direct INEC to commence a comprehensive review of political campaign financing by all political parties and candidates in line with Section 91 of the Electoral Act, with particular emphasis on the sources and scale of campaign funds ahead of the 2027 general election.
SERAP argued that the allegations raise serious concerns about transparency, accountability and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.
It maintained that the opaque use of public funds for political activities, if established, would undermine public confidence in democracy and compromise the constitutional right of Nigerians to participate in free and fair elections.
The group further contended that the Electoral Act empowers INEC to regulate political donations, enforce disclosure requirements, prescribe donation limits and impose sanctions on individuals or political parties found to have violated campaign finance regulations.
According to SERAP, where allegations involve the possible diversion of public resources for political campaigns, INEC has both constitutional and statutory responsibilities to investigate and enforce compliance with the law.
As of the time of filing this report, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.
