How much e really cost to run for President for Nigeria?

As politicians for Nigeria don start again to campaign for 2027 general elections, wey dey less dan five months away, di question don come up again about how much e truly cost to run successfuly for di office.

Campaign spending dey range from di cost of advertising, organising campaign rallies, logistics, mobilisation, election-day operations, plus many oda spendings.

Already di ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) don announce dia presidential campaign council, and appoint Dapo Abiodun, di Govnor of Ogun State for di southwest region of di kontri, as di director of fund raising.

Di two major opposition parties, di Africa Democratic Congess (ADC) and di Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) dey expected to announce dia own caampaign councils soon.

Dis question of how much presidential campaigns cost, dey come up almost evri time election come around for Nigeria, and na question wey many sabi pipo believe say no one pesin fit tok say e know di ansa.

Howeva, dis article go look at how candidates and political parties dey raise moni for campaign, wetin di law tok about campaign spending, estimate of wetin past campaigns bin cost, and how di authorities fit monitor campaign spending.

How dem dey raise funds for campaign

Over di years, political parties dey adopt different methods to raise funds to take pursue dia election campaigns. Some of dis methods include:

Ahead of di 2027 election, di APC, for example, bin cash in billions of naira from di sale of forms to dia members wey wan contest for one position or anoda.

Di most expensive one na di presidential nomination wey cost 100 million naira, and wey two pipo buy - President Tinubu and one Stanley Osifo. And di cheapest form na di one for State House of Assembly wey cost six million naira.

APC leaders tell tori pipo say about 2,980 aspirants bin buy forms to contest for di various elective positions. Assuming say all of dem buy di cheapest form of six million naira, di APC go make more dan 17 billion naira.

Na di same tin for di oda major political parties for di kontri, like di ADC wey dia presidential aspirant form 90 million naira, and di NDC wey sell dia own for 60 million.

Also, political parties dey usually invite ogbonge businessmen and companies for di kontri to donate to support dia campaign, and most times, dis donation and dia donors - or one of di two - dey usually dey anonymous.

But e get donors wey dey also make dia donation public, like in 2018 wen di oil billionaire Arthur Eze of Anambra State, bin announce one billion naira donation to support di re-election campaign of di former govnor of Ebonyi State Dave Umahi, who now be di minister of Works for Nigeria.

Den e get di crowdfunding process, wey political parties and dia candidates dey use to ask for donations from ordinary citizens wey no get too much moni.

In 2022, di APC famously lauch one mobile application wey dem name 'Bless Me', wey dem ask Nigerians to download and use am to easily donate money for di Tinubu presidential campaign.

Dem later announce say some minutes afta launching di app, dem get donations of more dan 190 million naira from pipo across Nigeria.

Also, di Labour Party Candidate for di 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, bin use dis crowd funding method to raise moni.

Aisha Yesufu, human rights activist and Peter Obi supporter announce say dem raise about 595 million naira from dat process.

Wetin di law allow candidates to spend?

Di Nigeria Electoral Act tok clearly how di highest amount of moni wey candidates and dia political parties no suppose spend more dan during campaigns, but weda dem dey make sure to enforce dis law, na anoda mata altogeda.

Section 92 subsection 1-7 of di electoral act na dia di law tok about campaign spending and how much go be di maximum:

E tok say: "Di maximum election expenses to be incurred by candidate for presidential election no go pass 10 billion naira," di law tok.

For di oda positions di maximum amount na:

Di electoral act also tok say "individual or oda entity no suppose donate to a candidate more dan 500 million naira".

Note say dis figures na according to di 2026 amendment wey Nigeria lawmakers make to di electoral act, bifor now, di moni dey lower.

For example for 2023, presidential capaign coast no suppose pass five billion naira, but now na ten billion. Also individual donations for 2023 no suppose pass 50 million naira, but now, na ten times dat amount.

Wetin candidates bin spend for previous election?

E no get any clear way to monitor how much political parties and dia candidates dey spend during election.

Di Nigeria Bureau of Statistics no dey monitor dat data bicos e no folo for dia responsibility. Na di Indepedent National Electoral Commission (Inec) get di mandate by law to monitor election spending and make sure say political parties no break di law.

However, afta di 2023 election some political parties, on dia own, bin publish dia campaign spending for public.

One of dem na di Labour Party wey dia chief fund raising coordinator, Aisha Yesufu bin tok say dem spend about 1,395 billion naira for di election, including more dan 744 million naira wey dem spend for di court case wey folo di elections.

Di Obi campaign say dia source of income na about 596 million wey dem get as donations from Nigerians at home and di diaspora, and 800 million naira wey Peter Obi imsef contribute.

Anoda party wey pulish dia 2023 campaign financial report for di public na di African Action Congress (AAC), wey dia presidential candidate na di human rights activist Omoyele Sowore. Dia report show say dem spend just about 40 million naira for di election.

How Inec dey monitor campaign spending?

According to di electoral act, na Inec and political parties suppose chook head togeda to determine how much each party spend for dia campaigns and make sure say e no pass di amount wey di law provide.

Section 93(3) of di electoral act tok say political parties get six months afta evri election to send to Inec di audited report of dia campaign spending.

Dis report must dey signed by di auditor of di party and di national chairman, togeda wit affidavit wey dem must swear for court to tok say di report dey correct.

Punishment for parties wey no submit dia own report on time na 10 million naira fine, or court fit give dem fine of one million naira evri day until dem submit di report.

Di law no tok weda Inec suppose publish dis reports publicly make Nigerians also know wetin dey inside.

But sabi pipo and civil society organisations say dis provision no dey strong enough and Inec sef no dey implement am.

Di Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), a civil society organisation for Nigeria, don call Inec to monitor and regulate political donations and campaign financing of candidates and dia political parties ahead of 2027.

One of di oga dem for Serap, Kolawole Oluwadare, also ask Inec to publish di audited reports of political parties campaign spending 2023 to 2025.

"Greater transparency for political financing dey important to make sure say di 2027 elections dey conducted on top level playing field so dat citizens go fit make free and informed political choices," oga Oluwadare tok for one statement wey Serap release on Sunday, 23 August 2026.