Political finance and corruption in Nigerian governance

He notes that this includes spending by the Federal Government, political parties, aspirants, candidates, security agencies, donor partners, the National Assembly, and media organizations. Ojo points out that many Nigerians fail to connect campaign finance with corruption in governance. He uses political contestants as a case study, detailing the high costs of expression of interest and nomination forms for parties like the All Progressives Congress, African Democratic Congress, and Nigeria Democratic Congress.

While the Electoral Act 2026 sets spending limits for candidates, Ojo states that many frontline candidates exceed these limits, yet prosecutions for such breaches have been absent for 27 years, fostering impunity. He explains the difficulty in tracking political finance due to hidden costs, citing Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele's remarks about elections becoming an "industry" for some. Ojo also details the extensive campaign infrastructure, including multiple offices, staff, vehicles, websites, and rallies, which are funded by candidates.

Furthermore, he mentions the substantial legal costs associated with pre-election disputes and post-election litigation, which candidates bear personally. He concludes that the enormous resources spent by contestants on elections contribute to politically expos