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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Experts question tracking of N100bn election spending as INEC probes claims

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Experts question the feasibility of tracking election expenditures, as INEC begins to verify claims of over N100bn spent by APC and Accord in the Osun governorship election.
  • A report alleged billions spent on vote buying, with APC targeting N40,000 per voter and Accord N20,000, far exceeding the N3bn legal limit.
  • INEC stated it cannot rely on external calculations and will conduct its own assessment to determine if spending limits were breached.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is initiating an investigation into allegations that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord party spent over N100 billion during the August 15 Osun State governorship election. This probe follows a report that detailed the parties' expenditures on vote buying, campaign materials, and personnel.

INEC cannot act on the findings or calculations of another body, so we have to carry out our own calculations and findings and follow the rules from there.

— Mohammed HarunaINEC National Commissioner explaining the commission's need for independent verification of election spending claims.

Experts have voiced skepticism regarding the ability to accurately track election spending, citing the inherent difficulties in monitoring such vast sums. The report suggested that the APC allegedly allocated N40,000 per targeted voter, while Accord reportedly aimed for an average of 150 voters in each polling unit at N20,000 per voter. These figures, if accurate, would vastly exceed the N3 billion spending limit set by the Electoral Act for governorship candidates.

INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna clarified that the commission cannot solely rely on the published report's calculations. "INEC cannot act on the findings or calculations of another body, so we have to carry out our own calculations and findings and follow the rules from there," Haruna stated. He emphasized that INEC must establish the facts through its own independent assessment before any action can be taken regarding potential breaches of electoral law.

The rules are quite clear, but INEC has to establish that those are the facts. INEC cannot act on the findings or calculations of another body, so we have to carry out our own calculations and findings and follow the rules from there.

— Mohammed HarunaINEC National Commissioner emphasizing the commission's process for verifying election spending.

Former and current Resident Electoral Commissioners acknowledged the challenges in precisely quantifying campaign expenditure. However, they urged INEC and security agencies to rigorously enforce the spending limits and prosecute offenders, particularly those involved in vote buying. The Osun election itself was won by the incumbent governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, who secured victory over the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

That is PUNCH; that is their own arithmetic. We haven’t done our own arithmetic, so we have to confirm those are the facts.

— Mohammed HarunaINEC National Commissioner distinguishing the commission's verification process from external reports.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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