The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged all 19 presidential candidates announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publicly disclose their assets and liabilities, as well as those of their spouses and, where applicable, unmarried children under 18, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
SERAP also called on the candidates to disclose the legitimate sources of their significant assets and publicly reject vote-buying and electoral bribery before and during the election.
In an open letter dated August 8, 2026, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged the candidates to “go beyond the bare legal minimum and voluntarily embrace higher standards of transparency, accountability and integrity in seeking Nigeria’s highest elected office.”
The organisation also asked the candidates to direct their political parties, campaign organisations, agents and supporters not to offer or distribute money, gifts or other material inducements in exchange for votes.
The 19 candidates are President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Peter Obi of the National Democratic Congress (NDC); Senator Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC); Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Okwori Ada Elizabeth Frederick of the National Democratic Party (NDP); Chukwu Anita Zugwai of the Young Progressives Party (YPP); Rufai Adekunle Omoaje of the Action Alliance (AA); and Adenuga Sunday of the Boot Party.
The others are Memeh Samuel of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA); Nwanyanwu Daniel Danerechukwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP); Okereke Sunday Chibuzor of the Labour Party (LP); Okereke Iken Esther of the National Rescue Movement (NRM); Abbas-Bin Aliyu of the Action Democratic Party (ADP); Dikwa Suleiman Mohammed of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Seyi Makinde of the Accord Party (APM); and Yusuf Kabiru of the Action Peoples Party (APP).
SERAP said candidates seeking Nigerians’ mandate to exercise constitutional powers over public finances, natural resources, appointments and security institutions should be prepared to subject their personal financial affairs to reasonable public scrutiny before asking citizens for their votes.
“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,” the organisation said.
According to SERAP, voluntary pre-election asset disclosure would enable voters to identify potential conflicts of interest and scrutinise significant sources of wealth. It said such disclosure would also strengthen public confidence in the electoral process and provide a baseline against which material changes in a candidate’s assets could be assessed if elected.
“The 2027 presidential election presents an opportunity for political leaders to show that public office is a public trust. Candidates who voluntarily disclose their assets and reject vote-buying can show that they are prepared to uphold the transparency and accountability they promise to deliver if elected,” it said.
SERAP acknowledged that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, does not expressly require presidential candidates to publish their asset declarations before an election. However, it argued that the Constitution embodies broader principles of transparency, accountability, integrity in public office and meaningful participation in government.
The organisation noted that the Constitution already requires elected public officers, including the President, to declare their assets and liabilities.
It cited Paragraph 11 of Part I of the Fifth Schedule, which requires public officers to submit declarations of their properties, assets and liabilities, including those of their unmarried children under 18. It also cited Section 140(1), which requires a person elected President to make the prescribed declaration before assuming the functions of office.
SERAP further referred to Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects citizens’ rights to participate in public affairs and to vote and be elected in genuine periodic elections.
“These rights cannot be meaningfully exercised where voters are denied relevant information necessary to scrutinise those seeking to govern them,” SERAP said.
On vote-buying, the organisation described the persistent use of money, gifts and other inducements to influence voters as a major threat to electoral integrity.
“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.
SERAP cited Section 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, which provides that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, and Section 125 of the Electoral Act 2026, which it said criminalises bribery and related conduct intended to procure the election of a person to public office or the vote of an elector.
“An election in which citizens’ votes are purchased, coerced or otherwise financially induced cannot genuinely reflect the free political will of the Nigerian people,” SERAP said.
The organisation added that vote-buying was particularly harmful amid widespread poverty and economic hardship because it exploits economic vulnerability and risks reducing a constitutional political right to a financial transaction.
SERAP therefore urged the 19 candidates to publish their assets and liabilities before the election, including relevant assets and liabilities of their spouses and unmarried children under 18. It also asked them to disclose the legitimate sources of significant assets, including business interests, investments, real property, substantial gifts and inheritances, while taking appropriate steps to protect legitimate personal security and privacy.
The organisation further called on the candidates to:
- commit to updating their public asset declarations if elected and explain any material increase in their wealth;
- publicly reject vote-buying and electoral bribery;
- instruct their campaign organisations, political associates and supporters not to distribute money, gifts, food, transportation benefits or other material inducements in exchange for votes;
- report credible allegations of vote-buying involving their campaign organisations to the appropriate authorities; and
- sign and publish a public integrity pledge committing themselves, their parties and campaign organisations to peaceful, transparent, accountable and corruption-free elections.
“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.
