INEC Must Improve Transparency Before 2027 Elections, Says PLAC

The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) has pointed out that the management of funds and procurement of election materials needs more transparency. This is a big challenge for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Clement Nwankwo, the director of PLAC, shared this on Wednesday during a chat on Arise TV’s The Morning Show. This was just a day after INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan updated Nigerians on the commission’s plans for the elections.

INEC has set the Presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027. The Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.

Nwankwo stressed that while having enough funds for elections is crucial, Nigerians must also be able to check how INEC uses the money it gets.

"We also want to see transparency in management of funds. We want to see transparency in procurement of materials for elections; who is the vendor making the supplies? Are they partisan?" he asked.

"Is it in fact the commission that is making these procurements, or are there people outside of the commission that are making these procurements for the commission?"

He advised that INEC should reveal the vendors supplying election materials. Political parties, as important players, should also have enough information about the procurement process.

Nwankwo highlighted that transparency is very important for sensitive election materials. This is because these materials can affect the integrity of the electoral process.

He also raised issues with enforcing campaign spending limits set by the Electoral Act 2026. Nwankwo noted that even though the law has spending limits for candidates, INEC needs to provide guidelines and watch over compliance.

According to section 92 of the Electoral Act 2026, presidential candidates can spend a maximum of N10 billion. For governorship candidates, the limit is N3 billion.

Nwankwo said that INEC should have ways to monitor campaign spending. This includes checking expenses on billboards and ads on TV and radio. This will help see if candidates are going over the limits.

He mentioned that candidates and political parties must submit spending reports. If they break the law, they could face penalties.

Nwankwo also pointed out the lack of an Electoral Offences Commission. He believes this would help enforce electoral laws better.

"I know that the Electoral Reform Commission, led by the respected Justice Mohammed Uwais, had suggested creating an Electoral Offences Commission. This was meant for handling offences or issues within its powers," he said.

"That commission is still to be set up. The National Assembly has discussed this twice in two sessions, but nothing has happened."

In January, the Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija) also called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission as part of its suggestions for electoral reform ahead of the 2027 elections.