INEC Targets Illegal Campaign Spending as Voter Register Tops 103 Million

The Independent National Electoral Commission has stepped up preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 elections, deploying a joint financial monitoring mechanism to track illegal campaign spending as the national voter register rises above 103 million.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed the measures in Abuja while speaking at a strategic workshop for media executives organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors in collaboration with the commission. The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027.

Amupitan said INEC was working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit to monitor campaign financing and identify suspicious expenditure. He said the arrangement would also strengthen surveillance around polling units to detect attempts to influence voters through financial inducements.

The INEC chairman warned political parties, candidates and their agents that breaches of the Electoral Act would attract sanctions, arrest and prosecution. He said elections should be determined by voters’ choices rather than the financial strength of candidates.

The commission also announced that the national register now contains more than 103 million registered voters following the completion of the three-phase Continuous Voter Registration exercise. The three phases produced 10,772,421 new registrations, while INEC said the final Automated Biometric Identification System cleanup had been completed.

To strengthen election technology, INEC has acquired 57,000 additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines. The commission said it was improving existing electoral technology rather than introducing untested systems close to the elections. It also plans to have voting commence simultaneously across polling units nationwide.

Amupitan said INEC was also activating an early-warning framework through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to monitor political violence, thuggery and inflammatory campaign rhetoric. He warned parties and candidates against violence, intimidation and hate speech, saying those found responsible could face sanctions.

The commission has also urged the media to strengthen verification as the election approaches, particularly amid the spread of deepfakes, fabricated campaign materials and manipulated content. NGE President Eze Anaba and other media stakeholders called for transparent communication from INEC, while stressing that public confidence would depend on voters believing that the electoral process is credible and their votes will count.