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SERAP Gives INEC 7 Days to Account for ₦126.46bn ‘Unaccounted’ Electoral Funds

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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has given the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, seven days to account for over ₦126.46 billion in public funds appropriated for electoral operations but allegedly “diverted, lost, mismanaged or otherwise unaccounted for.”

The organisation said the funds relate to the procurement of ballot boxes, electoral devices and materials, sensitive materials, and result sheets, among other goods and services required for elections.

The demand was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, September 12, 2026, by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, and made available to PUNCH Online on Sunday.

It referenced the 2023 audited report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, published on August 7, 2026, which covered January to December 2022 and, in some cases, extended to December 31, 2023.

“SERAP urged INEC to account for the over ₦126 billion, including the amounts paid, the beneficiaries of the payments, the contracts and procurement processes, the contractors and suppliers involved, and evidence of delivery, utilisation and the current status of the goods, services and electoral assets concerned,” the statement read.

The organisation also urged the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, and the commission “to refer the alleged diversion, unlawful expenditure, procurement violations and other financial misconduct documented by the Auditor-General to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, for investigation, prosecution and recovery.”

It added that Amupitan and INEC should “identify the public officials, contractors, companies, suppliers and consultants responsible and take all necessary steps to recover any of the over ₦126 billion found to have been unlawfully or irregularly paid, lost, diverted, or paid for goods and services not supplied or properly utilised.”

“Electoral resources are public resources. INEC must be able to account for every naira, demonstrate that it was lawfully spent and show that it served the purposes for which it was appropriated,” SERAP said.

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and INEC to comply with our request in the public interest.”

SERAP stated that “these findings are particularly disturbing given the constitutional importance of INEC and the fact that the expenditure concerns resources appropriated for the administration of Nigeria’s electoral system.”

According to the Auditor-General:

  • ₦112.15bn: INEC “irregularly paid” for ballot boxes, electoral devices, items and materials “without competitive bidding or a BPP Certificate of No Objection.” The report found “no evidence that the items were procured.” Contracts were awarded to companies whose “competences, experience, capacities, addresses and factory locations were unknown.” The Auditor-General said the money “may have been diverted” and wants it recovered.
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  • ₦1.05bn: Paid for Toyota Prado TXL 2021 Model “without advertisement, competitive bidding, bid evaluation or a BPP Certificate of No Objection.” The Auditor-General fears the money “may have been lost” and that contracts “may have been inflated.”
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  • ₦3.13bn: Paid to four contractors for ballot guides, sensitive materials and result sheets “before the contracts were awarded, with no evidence of payment.” The Auditor-General said the money “may have been diverted” and wants it recovered and remitted to the treasury.
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  • ₦9.24bn: Paid for 22 contracts for similar goods and services, with contracts “split to circumvent procurement procedures and awarded on the same day.” The Auditor-General said the money “may have been lost” and that payment “may have been made for items not supplied.”
  • ₦129.37m: Paid to 19 accounting firms for financial audit services “without evidence of utilisation or requests and expenditure by the consultants.” The Auditor-General said the money “may have been diverted” and wants it recovered.

SERAP urged INEC to ensure that “no electoral equipment, material or other public asset covered by the Auditor-General’s findings is disposed of, transferred, destroyed, written off or otherwise dealt with in a manner that could frustrate accountability or recovery pending completion of the reconciliation and any resulting investigation.”

It said any referral to the EFCC and ICPC should “expressly cover the contractors, companies, suppliers and consultants who irregularly received public funds, as well as any INEC officials or other public officials who authorised, processed, facilitated or benefited from the transactions.”

The organisation cited Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which requires public institutions to “abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power,” and Section 13, which imposes responsibility on INEC to “conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the Constitution.”