The National Assembly has doubled the campaign spending limit for presidential candidates to N10 billion and increased the governorship ceiling to N3 billion in the Electoral Act 2026.
On February 17, the national assembly harmonised versions of
the Electoral Bill 2026 passed by both chambers and transmitted same to
President Bola Tinubu for assent ahead of the 2027 general election.
Tinubu signed the bill into law within 24 hours of its
transmission, completing a two-year consultative process.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his directorate of media
and public affairs, Opeyemi Bamidele, senate leader, disclosed the revisions
while outlining key reforms introduced in the new electoral framework signed
into law ahead of the 2027 general election.
Under the repealed Electoral Act, 2022, presidential
candidates spend was capped at N5 billion, while governorship candidates were
limited to N1 billion.
The 2026 law, however, raises the senate spending ceiling
from N100 million to N500 million.
The limit for house of representatives candidates has been
increased from N70 million to N250 million.
For state house of assembly elections, the ceiling rises
from N30 million to N100 million.
Area council chairmanship outlay has been reviewed upward
from N30 million to N60 million, while councillorship candidates can now spend
up to N10 million, up from N5 million.
Bamidele said the upward review under section 92(1-8)
reflects prevailing economic realities and rising campaign costs, while
retaining statutory limits to regulate election financing.
He added that enforcement provisions remain in place to
sanction candidates who exceed the prescribed thresholds.
PENALTIES FOR RIGGING
The senate leader also said the Electoral Act 2026
introduced stricter penalties for electoral offences as part of broader reforms
aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process.
Under section 125(1-2), he said, the legislation recommends
two years’ imprisonment or a fine ranging between N500,000 and N2 million, or
both, for offences such as vote buying, impersonation, and result manipulation.
He added that section 60(6) prescribes “a six-month
imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 or both against any presiding officer, who
willfully frustrates the electronic transmission of election result”
“This provision is consistent with the public demands,” he
added.
“It also stipulates another measure of consequence if any
presiding officer refuses to electronically transmit the results from each
polling unit to IREV.
“We must equally understand that IREV is not a collation
platform. It was designed to enhance transparency in our electoral process. An
electronic collating system is a project that requires its own planning.”
Bamidele also cited section 74(1), which mandates a resident
electoral commissioner (REC) to release certified true copies of documents
within 24 hours after payment, with failure attracting a minimum of two years’
imprisonment without an option of fine.
He said section 72(2) provides that a certified true copy of
a court order “shall be sufficient for the purpose of swearing-in any candidate
declared as the winner of an election by the court where the INEC fails,
refuses, or neglects to issue the certificate of return”.
The senate leader said the new framework also mandates the
compulsory use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) under section
47 and electronic transmission of results to the INEC result viewing portal
(IReV) under section 60(3).
“The making of the new regime is a collective work that
involves nearly all critical stakeholders,” he said.
“The National Assembly worked with such different
stakeholders as OAGF, CSOs, INEC and our development partners, among others,
before we eventually completed the process.
“As we were making progress, the stakeholders too were
making their input, and all the inputs were incorporated in the Act.
“In view of the time constraint we are facing now, I do not
believe the Executive requires days or weeks to review it before assent, since
we all contributed to it.
“Its outcome is not a unilateral effort of the parliament,
but of Nigerians at large.”
Bamidele added that the Electoral Act, 2026, is designed to
enhance electoral credibility, reduce disputes, and strengthen democratic
governance in the country.
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