The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has urged all 19 presidential candidates announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to publish details of their assets and liabilities ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The organisation also called on the candidates to publicly reject vote-buying and electoral bribery before and during the election. SERAP made the demands in an open letter dated August 8, 2026, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.
The organisation asked the candidates to disclose their assets and liabilities, including relevant declarations involving their spouses and unmarried children below 18 years. It also urged candidates to explain the legitimate sources of significant assets, including business interests, investments, real property, substantial gifts and inheritances. SERAP said the disclosure should go beyond the minimum requirements of existing law and provide voters with information that could help them assess potential conflicts of interest.
According to the organisation, candidates seeking the presidency should be prepared to subject their financial affairs to reasonable public scrutiny before asking Nigerians to entrust them with control over public finances, natural resources and security institutions. SERAP argued that voluntary pre-election disclosure would also provide a baseline for assessing changes in a candidate’s wealth if elected.
The 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 Coalition, NDC; Senator Sandy Onor of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress, AAC.
Others are Donald Duke of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP; Okwori Ada Elizabeth Frederick of the National Democratic Party, NDP; Chukwu Anita Zugwai of the Young Progressive Party, YPP; Rufai Adekunle Omoaje of the Action Alliance, AA; Adenuga Sunday of the Boot Party; Memeh Samuel of the Democratic Labour Alliance, DLA; Nwanyanwu Daniel Danerechukwu of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP; and Okereke Sunday Chibuzor of the Labour Party, LP.
The list also includes 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 People’s Party, NNPP; Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer of the Social Democratic Party, SDP; Seyi Makinde of the Allied People’s Movement, APM; and Yusuf Kabiru of the Allied Peoples Party, APP.
Beyond asset disclosure, SERAP urged all the candidates to publicly and unequivocally reject vote-buying. The organisation asked them to direct their parties, campaign organisations, agents and supporters not to offer money, gifts, food, transportation benefits or other inducements in exchange for votes. It also called on candidates to report credible allegations of vote-buying involving their campaign organisations to the appropriate authorities.
SERAP further proposed that each presidential candidate sign and publish an integrity pledge committing themselves, their parties and campaign structures to peaceful, transparent and corruption-free elections. The organisation said voters should be able to choose candidates based on policies, competence, character and their vision for Nigeria rather than on the amount of money available to political campaigns.
SERAP acknowledged that the Nigerian Constitution does not expressly require presidential candidates to publish their asset declarations before an election.
However, it argued that constitutional provisions on transparency, accountability, integrity in public office and participation in government provide a basis for voluntary disclosure. The organisation cited Paragraph 11 of Part I of the Fifth Schedule, which requires public officers to declare their properties, assets and liabilities, including relevant declarations concerning unmarried children below 18.
It also referred to Section 140(1), which requires a person elected President to make the prescribed declaration before assuming the functions of office. SERAP additionally cited Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects citizens’ rights to participate in public affairs and vote in genuine periodic elections.
On electoral bribery, SERAP referred to Section 14(2)(a) of the Constitution, which provides that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria. It also cited Section 125 of the Electoral Act 2026, which it said criminalises bribery and related conduct intended to influence the return of a candidate or procure an elector’s vote.
The organisation argued that financial inducements can undermine voters’ ability to freely exercise their political choices. It particularly highlighted the vulnerability of citizens facing poverty and economic hardship, saying vote-buying could turn a constitutional political right into a financial transaction.
SERAP’s recommendations include publishing relevant assets and liabilities before the election, disclosing significant sources of wealth, committing to explain material increases in assets if elected, and rejecting electoral bribery. It also wants candidates to instruct their campaign organisations and political associates to avoid material inducements and to report credible cases of vote-buying.
The organisation believes the 2027 presidential election provides an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate the standards of transparency and accountability they would be expected to uphold in public office. SERAP therefore urged the 19 candidates to embrace what it described as higher standards of integrity rather than limiting themselves to the minimum requirements of the law.
The demands come as political parties and candidates prepare for the 2027 general elections, with questions around campaign financing, electoral integrity and public accountability expected to remain prominent.
SERAP’s position is that greater financial transparency would give voters additional information when evaluating presidential candidates. Its argument against vote-buying is similarly centred on protecting the independence of voters and ensuring that electoral outcomes reflect political preferences rather than financial inducements.
Whether the candidates will voluntarily adopt the proposed disclosures and integrity pledge remains to be seen. For now, SERAP has placed asset transparency and vote-buying firmly among the issues it wants Nigerians and presidential candidates to confront ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
