By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has challenged all 19 presidential candidates announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to voluntarily publish details of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and, where applicable, unmarried children below 18 years, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
SERAP also urged the candidates to publicly and unequivocally reject vote-buying and electoral bribery before and during the election, while directing their political parties, campaign organisations, agents and supporters not to offer or distribute money, gifts or other material inducements in exchange for votes.
The organisation said candidates seeking Nigeria’s highest elected office should go beyond the bare legal requirements and voluntarily embrace higher standards of transparency, accountability and integrity.
The 19 presidential candidates listed by SERAP 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.
Others are Memeh Samuel of the Democratic Labour 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 Allied Peoples Movement (APM); and Yusuf Kabiru of the Allied Peoples Party (APP).
SERAP argued that candidates asking Nigerians to entrust them with enormous constitutional powers over public finances, natural resources, appointments and security institutions should be willing to demonstrate, before seeking their votes, that their personal financial affairs can withstand reasonable public scrutiny.
According to the organisation, voluntary pre-election asset disclosure would enable Nigerians to identify potential conflicts of interest and significant sources of wealth, strengthen confidence in the electoral process and establish a baseline against which any future changes in a candidate’s assets could be assessed if elected.
SERAP maintained that Nigerian voters should not be forced to choose presidential candidates based on who has the capacity to spend the most money during campaigns.
Rather, it said, citizens should be able to make informed choices based on candidates’ policies, competence, integrity, character and vision for the country.
“Votes must not be bought. Public office must not be treated as private property,” the organisation stressed, urging all presidential candidates to demonstrate that they understand that public office is a public trust.
SERAP said the 2027 presidential election provides an opportunity for political leaders to set a new standard by voluntarily disclosing their assets and rejecting vote-buying.
It added that candidates who embrace transparency and refuse electoral bribery would send a strong signal that they are prepared to uphold the accountability and integrity they promise to Nigerians if elected.
The organisation urged the candidates to make their commitments publicly and ensure that their parties, campaign structures, agents and supporters adhere to the same standards throughout the electoral process.
