A coalition of civil society organisations has petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to refer FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s reported ₦10 million pledge to councillors to the Nigeria Police Force for investigation.
The petition is dated 11 November and addressed to the INEC Chairman. It was issued by the Civil Society Coalition on Electoral Integrity and signed by 17 organisations and individuals. They include the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the Initiative for Social Development in Africa (iSODAF) and lawyer Samuel Ihensekhien, Esq.
Mr Wike reportedly promised ₦10 million to each of the 62 FCT councillors who deliver their wards for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections, at a meeting in Kwali. The petition says he made the pledge on 9 November at a Rainbow Coalition stakeholders’ meeting in Kwali Area Council. It adds that The Punch reported the next day that he described the pledge as a reward for hard work in political mobilisation and said he had not asked councillors to pay voters.
The groups say the reported link between the payments and ward-level results needs scrutiny. “The reported link between payment to individual councillors and the electoral result in their wards warrants investigation,” the petition states. It says the full recording, witness accounts and any records setting out the terms of the pledge “should be examined alongside the minister’s explanation.”
The coalition asks INEC to assess whether the pledge discloses an offence under section 125(1)(a) of the Electoral Act, 2026. The petition says the provision covers a corrupt offer or promise made to induce a person to procure someone’s election or a voter’s vote. It stresses that the provision “expressly covers offers and promises,” so an investigation can proceed “without proof that money changed hands.”
The petition also notes that section 125(3) excludes payments for genuine, lawful election expenses. Investigators, it says, should determine whether the proposed payments related to identifiable lawful expenses “and whether eligibility for payment depended on the electoral outcome in each ward.” If evidence of disbursement emerges, it asks INEC to consider whether sections 125(1)(c) and 131(a) apply.
The groups also cite paragraph 15(a) and (f) of Part I of the Third Schedule to the Constitution, which makes INEC responsible for supervising presidential elections and monitoring political campaigns. They also cite section 148(2) of the Electoral Act, which provides for the Commission’s legal officers, or a lawyer it appoints, to prosecute offences under the Act.
The petition first asks INEC to register the complaint and refer it to the police, giving the signatories “a written acknowledgement and a complaint reference number.” It then asks that investigators take prompt, lawful steps to preserve and obtain the full original audio and video recordings of the meeting, event records and relevant communications. They should also take accounts from Mr Wike, the organisers, councillors and other witnesses.
The inquiry, the coalition says, should establish who was expected to pay, who qualified, how eligibility would be determined and whether any payment followed. It should also find out whether private, party, campaign or public funds were earmarked, and refer any evidence of misuse of public funds to the competent authority. Finally, if the evidence is sufficient, INEC should institute proceedings under section 148(2) and notify the signatories in writing of the action taken.
“A prompt investigation would help safeguard voters’ freedom of choice and public confidence in the consistent enforcement of electoral law ahead of the 2027 presidential election,” the coalition said.
The pledge has already drawn political reaction. Wike has defended it, and one outlet headlined its report that he says the offer is not vote-buying. The camp of the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has argued that the offer breaches Section 125 of the Electoral Act. Media reports have also noted that they do not identify who would finance the payments.
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