By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Edo and Ondo State governorship elections must have come and gone, a report by Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, tagged ‘Polimoney’, Tuesday, asserted that unregulated campaign financing remains unhealthy for Nigeria’s democracy.

In an address of welcome, the Executive Director, KDI, Bukola Idowu, during the presentation of the report by KDI in Abuja, pointed out that the issue of political and campaign finance is complex and multifaceted.

Idowu also expressed concern over the flow of finances and no relevant government agency bothered about it, and the Electoral Act on campaign finances was never implemented by checkmating political parties and candidates, therefore, voters were heavily induced as their votes were bought.

The study was supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.

He said: “Since June 2024, leading the Edo and Ondo States off-cycle governorship elections, KDI monitored both political and campaign finance in both states.

“The findings of our project are both revealing and concerning. We have observed a significant presence of dark money in Nigeria’s political campaigns, with political parties and candidates operating under opaque financial structures.

“This lack of transparency and disregard for legal compliance such as Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022 has great impact on electoral and democratic processes in Nigeria.

“As we present our findings today, we recognize that the issue of political and campaign finance is complex and multifaceted.

“However, we believe that by working together, we can promote transparency, accountability, and fairness in Nigeria’s electoral process.”

According to the report presented by the Head, Research and Strategy, KDI, Oluwafemi Adebayo, in Edo State N9.6 billion was spent between July and September 2024, while N3.7 billion was spent in Ondo State between July and September 2024.

Adebayo said, “A crucial question arising from the 2024 governorship elections is whether campaign expenditures breached Section 88(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which places a cap of N1 billion on the total expenses a candidate can incur in a governorship election.

“The data unequivocally shows that the major candidates in both Edo and Ondo exceeded this limit multiple times over.

“The challenge for such enforcement, however, lies in the structure of separately becomes nearly impossible. The result is a system where between candidate spending and party spending. In theory, this separation allows political parties to raise and spend funds independently of their candidates, but in practice, the lines are often blurred.”

Meanwhile, according to the report, in Edo State, spending by major political parties has surged, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its predecessor, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), recording an increase from N309 million in 2012 to over N1.32 billion in 2024. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has seen an even steeper rise, with expenditures growing from N159 million in 2012 to approximately N2.6 billion in 2024, marking an astonishing 1,923% increase in just 12 years. Similarly, the Labour Party (LP), which had no scene in 2024 with an estimated expenditure of N2.32 billion, signaling a significant financial footprint in previous years, entered the electoral shift in political dynamics.

Ondo State follows a comparable trajectory, albeit with variations in party spending patterns. APC’s estimated campaign expenditures have fluctuated, rising from N213 million in 2012 to N888 million in 2016, then dipping slightly to N533 million in 2020, before climbing back to N808 million in 2024. PDP, on the other hand, experienced inconsistent spending patterns, with a peak in 2012 at N234 million, a decline to N278 million in million in 2024, and an overall decrease compared to previous years. Meanwhile, the Labour Party, which had been absent from the financial landscape since 2012 when it spent N338 million, reemerged in 2024 with a modest expenditure of N7.6 million in Ondo State.

However, the report recommended that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, needs to; Develop an Evidence-Based Framework for Campaign Expense Limits; Strengthen Real-Time Financial Disclosure Mechanisms; Enforce Compliance Through Stricter Oversight and Sanctions; Regulate Media Spending Transparency.

The National Assembly should; a Amend the Electoral Act to Provide a Clear Mechanism for Setting Expenses Limits; Enhance Enforcement Provisions and Close Legal Gaps; and Strengthen Tax Compliance for Political Contributions.

For Political Parties and Candidates: Improve Internal Financial Accountability; and Reduce Overreliance on Large Donors. For Civil Societies and Election Observers: Enhance Independent Monitoring of Political Finance; and Advocate for Stronger Regulations and Enforcement.

For the media: Commit to Investigative Reporting on Political Finance; and Push for Regulatory Reforms in Media Advertisement Transparency.

Meanwhile,on the sidelines of presenting the report, the Director Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, expressed disappointment of the highest spender during elections have undermined the electoral process as politicians take advantage of the poverty of Nigerians and use public funds to induce them for their votes, and never care about their plight.

Mbamalu also asserted that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is yet to make impact in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy by not convicting perpetrators whom they supposed to arrest and prosecute for stealing public funds for their election ambition, and also added that the electoral process currently driven by money has denied youth and women not to actively contest during elections since they do not have money to do that, and said the 2027 general election will not be exceptional as institutions that supposed to enforce the law to curb huge and unnecessary spendings to hijack the process.