The Socio-Financial Rights and Responsibility Undertaking (SERAP) has approached the Federal Top Court docket in Abuja, searching for an evidence from the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC) over the control of greater than ₦126.46 billion allotted for electoral actions.
The lawsuit follows issues raised within the 2023 audited file of the Auditor-Basic of the Federation, printed on August 7, 2026, which tested executive expenditure for various classes, together with transactions between January and December 2022 and a few extending to December 31, 2023.
SERAP needs the court docket to compel INEC to reveal how the cash used to be spent and supply supporting monetary information appearing the quantities gained and distributed, the recipients of bills, the contractors concerned and their advisable house owners.
The organisation stated the budget had been earmarked for a number of election-related bills, together with poll bins, vote casting apparatus, delicate election fabrics, end result sheets, cars, voter accreditation units, audit and consultancy products and services, virtual archiving and different operational necessities.
In its court docket motion, SERAP alleged that the audit findings raised questions on whether or not one of the vital budget have been diverted, mismanaged, misplaced or left with out right kind accounting. The allegations have now not been established through a court docket.
The organisation argued that Nigerians will have to be capable to scrutinise the expenditure since the budget had been meant to make stronger the management of elections, a constitutional accountability central to the rustic’s democratic procedure.
It additional contended that the problems known within the audit file may just lift questions on compliance with the 1999 Charter, as amended, related anti-corruption law and Nigeria’s commitments underneath the United Countries Conference in opposition to Corruption.
SERAP’s criminal staff, comprising Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi and Andrew Nwankwo, filed the swimsuit at the organisation’s behalf.
The organisation maintained that public get admission to to details about electoral spending used to be crucial to democratic responsibility, arguing that voters have a proper to understand how cash allotted to INEC used to be utilised. Alternatively, the Federal Top Court docket has but to time table a listening to for the case.