2027: HURIWA Asks INEC To Clarify Rules On Tompolo’s Campaign Donations

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify the regulatory framework governing reported donations of more than 100 campaign vehicles and other logistics by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

HURIWA, a pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, said the reported donations should be examined from the perspective of campaign-finance rules, particularly the requirements for declaring and accounting for in-kind contributions to political campaigns.

The organisation said media reports indicated that Tompolo had donated 50 new vehicles to Kano State, 44 to Borno State, 34 to Katsina State and 25 to Taraba State for house-to-house campaign activities ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

HURIWA said it was not alleging that the donations were illegal, but argued that INEC should clarify the threshold and regulatory requirements applicable to private donations to presidential candidates.

The group also raised questions about whether campaign materials and logistics of such scale are required to be disclosed, valued and reflected in relevant campaign-finance records under Nigeria’s electoral laws and regulations.

In a statement on Sunday, HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said transparency in political financing was necessary to maintain public confidence in the electoral process.

Onwubiko said the scale of the reported donations warranted clarification from the electoral commission, particularly because Tompolo is a prominent figure in the oil and gas sector with business interests involving Federal Government contracts.

He, however, stressed that the circumstance did not by itself establish wrongdoing or a conflict of interest.

“We are not asking INEC to declare that any offence has been committed. We are asking the electoral commission to tell Nigerians what the law requires when an individual donates vehicles and other campaign logistics to support a presidential candidate, particularly when such a donor is a private contractor engaged by the current federal administration and is handling contracts such as securing crude oil pipelines,” he said.

Onwubiko asked whether the reported donations had been properly declared and how such in-kind contributions should be valued for regulatory purposes.

“Who is responsible for recording them, and are the applicable campaign-finance limits and disclosure requirements being observed? These are legitimate questions for an electoral regulator to answer,” he said.

HURIWA said the distinction between a lawful political donation and an unreported or improperly accounted-for campaign contribution should be maintained.

The organisation urged INEC to establish the facts surrounding the reported donations and, where necessary, request relevant documentation from the political party, campaign organisation or other responsible entities.

It also called on the All Progressives Congress (APC), like every other political party participating in the 2027 election, to demonstrate compliance with applicable electoral and campaign-finance requirements.

“Political support is a legitimate part of democratic participation. Wealthy individuals are not prohibited from supporting candidates simply because they are wealthy.

“But democracy also requires transparency. Where material resources are donated for campaign purposes, Nigerians are entitled to know whether those resources are being properly disclosed and accounted for in accordance with the law,” the group said.

HURIWA cautioned against describing the reported donations as political corruption without examining the facts and applicable legal provisions.

At the same time, it said INEC should not ignore questions arising from significant campaign contributions because they involve supporters of the governing party.

The organisation urged INEC to clarify the rules governing in-kind campaign donations, including vehicles, generators and electronic equipment, and state whether such donations are required to be valued and included in campaign-finance returns.

It also asked the commission to establish whether the reported donations had been properly documented and disclosed by the relevant political actors and to take appropriate regulatory action if evidence of non-compliance was established.

HURIWA said the same standards should apply to the APC and every other political party and presidential candidate.

It added that the credibility of the 2027 electoral process would depend not only on the conduct of voting and counting but also on transparency in the resources deployed for political mobilisation before election day.

The organisation therefore urged INEC to act proactively and demonstrate that Nigeria’s campaign-finance rules could be applied impartially to donors, political parties and candidates.