Political Finance Knowledge Centre
The legal framework and international standards behind everything the platform monitors. Each statement links to its source.
Why Political Finance Matters
When campaigns are financed by undisclosed money, voters cannot see who their representatives may be indebted to. Disclosure lets the public weigh that for themselves.
Spending ceilings and disclosure rules only work if spending is visible. This platform builds a sourced, reviewed public record of observable campaign activity so the rules can be tested against evidence.
International Standards
UN Convention against Corruption, Article 7(3): States parties shall consider measures to enhance transparency in the funding of candidatures for elected public office and, where applicable, the funding of political parties. UNODC — UNCAC ↗
OECD, Financing Democracy: funding of political parties and election campaigns and the risk of policy capture (2016). OECD ↗
International IDEA Political Finance Database: compares political finance rules (contribution limits, public funding, spending limits, reporting) across countries, including Nigeria. International IDEA ↗
Nigerian Law
Candidate spending ceilings by office: Presidential ₦10.0B, Governorship ₦3.0B, Senatorial ₦500M, House of Representatives ₦250M, State House of Assembly ₦100M, Area Council Chairmanship ₦100M, Area Council Councillorship ₦10.0M. Electoral Act 2026, s.92(2)–(7) ↗
No individual or entity may donate more than ₦500M to a candidate. Electoral Act 2026, s.92(8) ↗
INEC may limit the amount an individual or entity can donate to a party. Electoral Act 2026, s.91 ↗
Parties file audited election-expense returns with INEC within 6 months of the election, publish them in two national newspapers and online; INEC keeps them open for public inspection, including donor details (s.93(8)). Electoral Act 2026, s.93 ↗
No anonymous donations; contributions above ₦100m must be recorded with the donor's details; a contributions report is due within 3 months of results. Electoral Act 2026, s.94 ↗
Buying or offering to buy, or selling or offering to sell, votes. Electoral Act 2026, s.22(c) ↗
Bribery and conspiracy in connection with an election. Electoral Act 2026, s.125 ↗
Parties submit statements of accounts to INEC and may not retain foreign funds; INEC reports annually to the National Assembly on party finances. Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), ss.225–226 (unverified) ↗
The Electoral Act 2026 repealed the Electoral Act 2022. The 2022 Act governed the 2023 elections. Electoral Act 2022 (repealed), s.88 ↗
Policy Recommendations
Real-time disclosure: candidates and parties should file income and expenditure returns during the campaign, published in machine-readable form.
Beneficial ownership transparency: corporate donors should disclose their ultimate beneficial owners.
Digital ad transparency: all paid political advertising on major platforms should carry disclaimers and be logged in a public library.
A dedicated political finance unit inside INEC, with forensic accounting capacity.
Contribute to the evidence base
Have primary documents — INEC filings, procurement records, donor receipts, or eyewitness accounts of campaign activity? Submit them and they will be reviewed and cited.
Submit a field report →