Nexus between political finance and corruption in governance

Nigeria's electoral process operates as a massive, multi-billion dollar industry, encompassing vast expenditures by the federal government, political parties, individual aspirants, candidates, security agencies, civil society organizations, and media outlets. Despite this scale, many Nigerians fail to connect the dots between the immense sums spent on campaign finance and the pervasive corruption within governance.

This analysis focuses on political contestants as a case study, illustrating the financial demands placed upon them. Ahead of the 2026 party primaries, aspirants faced substantial fees for expression of interest and nomination forms. For instance, under the All Progressives Congress, presidential aspirants were charged N100 million, gubernatorial aspirants N50 million, senatorial aspirants N20 million, and House of Representatives aspirants N10 million.

Other parties also presented significant financial hurdles. The African Democratic Congress charged N90 million for presidential aspirants, N30 million for gubernatorial, N10 million for senatorial, and N5 million for House of Representatives. The Nigeria Democratic Congress had fees of N60 million, N30 million, N8 million, and N6 million for the same positions, respectively. Notably, the NDC introduced a policy where aspirants only pay an expression of interest fee initially, with nomination fees due only upon winning the primary, a move described as exemplary.

While Section 92 of the Electoral Act 2026 sets spending limits, N10 billion for presidential candidates, N3 billion for governorship, N500 million for senatorial, and N250 million for House of Representatives, the article points out that many frontline candidates exceed these ceilings. The law stipulates penalties for such breaches, yet the sheer volume of money involved suggests a complex relationship between campaign finance, electoral integrity, and governance corruption in Nigeria.