The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has challenged all 19 presidential candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publicly declare their assets and liabilities ahead of the 2027 election.
The organisation also wants the candidates to disclose the legitimate sources of their significant wealth and make a public commitment to rejecting vote-buying before and during the election.
Among those affected by the call are President Bola Tinubu of the APC, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, Labour politician Peter Obi of the NDC, as well as candidates of the PDP, AAC, PRP, NDP, YPP, AA, Boot Party, DLA, ZLP, LP, NRM, ADP, NNPP, SDP, APM and APP.
In an open letter dated August 8 and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged the candidates to adopt higher standards of transparency than the minimum requirements of the law.
SERAP said politicians asking Nigerians to entrust them with control over public funds, natural resources, appointments and security institutions should be willing to allow voters to examine their financial backgrounds.
The group said candidates should “go beyond the bare legal minimum and voluntarily embrace higher standards of transparency, accountability and integrity in seeking Nigeria’s highest elected office.”
SERAP argued that voters should be able to evaluate presidential contenders on their ideas and character rather than their financial capacity.
“Nigerians should not be asked to choose between candidates on the basis of who can spend the most money.
”They should be able to choose on the basis of policies, competence, integrity, character and their vision for Nigeria,” it said.
According to the organisation, voluntary disclosure before the election would help Nigerians identify possible conflicts of interest, understand the sources of candidates’ wealth and establish a benchmark for tracking significant changes in their assets if they eventually assume office.
SERAP said such transparency would also strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
“The 2027 presidential election presents an opportunity for political leaders to show that public office is a public trust,” the organisation said.
It added that candidates who voluntarily disclose their assets and reject vote-buying would demonstrate that they are prepared to uphold the accountability they promise during campaigns.
The organisation wants candidates to publish details of their assets and liabilities, including those belonging to their spouses and, where applicable, unmarried children below 18.
It also wants them to identify legitimate sources of significant assets, including business interests, investments, real estate, substantial gifts and inheritance.
SERAP, however, said legitimate concerns about personal security and privacy should be protected.
Candidates who eventually win, the organisation said, should commit to updating their public declarations and explaining significant increases in their wealth while in office.
SERAP acknowledged that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, does not expressly compel presidential candidates to publish asset declarations before an election.
However, it argued that constitutional principles on transparency, accountability and integrity in public office support greater voluntary disclosure.
The group also cited constitutional provisions requiring elected public officers to declare their assets and liabilities before assuming office.
‘Vote-Buying Undermines Sovereignty’
SERAP also placed vote-buying at the centre of its appeal, warning that the practice could distort the will of voters and weaken democratic accountability.
“We are also concerned about the persistent use of money, gifts and other inducements to influence voters. Vote-buying directly undermines the constitutional principle that sovereignty belongs to the people,” it said.
The organisation urged the presidential candidates to direct their parties, campaign organisations, agents and supporters not to offer money, food, gifts, transportation benefits or other incentives in exchange for votes.
It further asked candidates to report credible allegations of vote-buying involving their campaign structures to the appropriate authorities.
SERAP said the practice is particularly dangerous in an environment of widespread economic hardship because it can exploit the financial vulnerability of voters.
“An election in which citizens’ votes are purchased, coerced or otherwise financially induced cannot genuinely reflect the free political will of the Nigerian people,” it said.
Beyond asset declarations and opposition to vote-buying, SERAP wants the 19 candidates to sign and publish a public integrity pledge.
The pledge would commit the candidates, their parties and campaign organisations to peaceful, transparent, accountable and corruption-free elections.
The organisation said the 2027 presidential contest should ultimately be about what candidates can offer Nigeria rather than how much money they can deploy during the campaign.
“The choice before Nigerians in 2027 should be a choice based on ideas, policies, competence and integrity—not on who can spend the most money or conceal the most wealth,” SERAP said.
