The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has given the Independent National Electoral Commission seven days to account for more than ₦126.46bn in electoral funds flagged in an audit report.
SERAP, in a letter dated September 12, 2026, warned that it would commence legal action if INEC fails to provide satisfactory explanations within the deadline.
The group’s demand followed findings contained in the 2023 audited report of the Auditor-General of the Federation covering January 2022 to December 2023.
The report raised questions over several payments made by INEC, including ₦112.15bn allegedly paid for ballot boxes, electoral devices and other materials without competitive bidding or approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement.
The Auditor-General reportedly found no evidence that some of the items were actually procured and raised concerns about the competence and addresses of some companies awarded the contracts.
Another ₦1.05bn was reportedly paid for Toyota Prado TXL 2021 vehicles without advertisement or competitive bidding, with the audit report warning that the money might have been lost and that the contracts may have been inflated.
The report also questioned ₦3.13bn paid to four contractors for ballot guides and sensitive electoral materials before contracts were formally awarded.
Other questioned transactions included ₦9.24bn involving 22 contracts allegedly split to circumvent procurement rules, ₦504.4m for accreditation devices whose software licences reportedly expired after four months, and ₦129.3m paid to 19 audit firms without evidence of utilisation.
The Auditor-General further flagged ₦235.1m paid to contractors considered unqualified for sleeping mats and digital archiving.
SERAP said INEC must explain how the money was spent, identify the beneficiaries and contractors involved, disclose the procurement processes followed and provide evidence that the materials and assets were actually delivered.
The organisation also called on INEC and its chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to immediately refer the allegations to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission for investigation, prosecution and recovery of any funds found to have been misappropriated.
It demanded that officials, contractors and consultants linked to the transactions be identified.
SERAP stressed that electoral funds were public resources and that INEC had a responsibility to account for every naira appropriated to it.
The group warned that failure to respond within seven days would force it to take “all appropriate legal actions in the public interest.”
It further alleged that the audit findings raised issues under Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution, anti-corruption laws and Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption.
