The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, to immediately account for the allegedly missing or diverted N55.9 billion earmarked for smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other materials for the 2019 general elections.
SERAP said the alarming claims are contained in the latest annual report of the Auditor-General, published on 9 September 2025.
In a letter dated 6 December 2025 and signed by deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged the INEC chairman to publish the names of all contractors who reportedly received the funds, including details of their directors, shareholders, and registered addresses.
The organisation also asked Amupitan to refer the “grave violations” to anticorruption agencies for prosecution and ensure that any diverted public money is fully recovered.
“INEC must operate without corruption if the commission is to uphold Nigerians’ right to participate in their own government,” SERAP said. It warned that corruption in the procurement of electoral materials directly undermines free, fair and credible elections.
According to the Auditor-General’s findings, INEC irregularly paid more than N5.3 billion to a contractor for smart card readers without approval from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) or the Federal Executive Council. The payment was made without any supporting documents or evidence of supply.
INEC claimed the materials fell under national security exemptions, but the Auditor-General dismissed this as “alien to the Procurement Act” and expressed concern the funds may have been diverted.
Another N4.5 billion was allegedly paid to six contractors for ballot papers and result sheets without documentation, procurement processes or proof of eligibility. The Auditor-General again raised the alarm that the funds “may have been diverted”.
The report also flagged N331 million paid under suspicious circumstances, including contracts awarded months after receipts were issued and payments made before procurement processes were initiated.
Further allegations include failure to deduct over N2.1 billion in stamp duties, failure to retire N630 million in cash advances, and the award of more than N41 billion in printing contracts to companies without proof of competence—some being construction or oil and gas firms.
INEC also allegedly awarded a N297 million contract for Toyota Land Cruisers without approval, paying far above market price.
SERAP described the findings as a “grave violation of public trust”, insisting that INEC cannot assure credible future elections unless the allegations are addressed and perpetrators held accountable.
The group gave INEC seven days to act or face legal action.
