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By Ayo Kehinde
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, “to urgently report allegations that $6.3 billion in campaign project funds may have been diverted, misapplied or remain unaccounted for to relevant anti-corruption agencies for investigation and possible prosecution.”
The call follows damning findings in the 2022 annual report of the Auditor General of the Federation, which reportedly uncovered widespread financial irregularities involving electoral and intervention projects executed across several federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
In a letter dated 27 June 2026 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that anyone found guilty is prosecuted where there is sufficient admissible evidence, while all embezzled public funds are recovered and paid to the treasury.
The organization also called for the immediate disclosure of the identities of contractors, companies, shareholders and beneficial owners who received funds for campaign projects but who allegedly did not execute the projects.
According to SERAP, the Auditor General’s report paints a disturbing picture of alleged abuses of public funds, including payments into private bank accounts, contracts awarded without due process, payments for projects that were never executed, undocumented expenditures, inflated contract values and other procurement violations in several MDAs.
The agencies cited include the Environmental Health Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON), the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, the Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).
SERAP highlighted findings that EHORECON paid more than ₦22.9 million from campaign project funds into private accounts belonging to staff members without evidence showing how the money was used. The report also questions several contracts worth hundreds of millions of naira awarded for modern slaughterhouses, capacity building programs and electoral projects, many of which were allegedly not supported by adequate documentation or were never executed.
Likewise, the Auditor General questioned the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Vom, over payments amounting to hundreds of millions of naira for youth empowerment, vocational training, fertilizer distribution and other intervention projects allegedly awarded without due procurement procedures or supporting documents.
At Federal Polytechnic Ukana, the report said more than ₦1 billion was linked to questionable payments, including mobilization fees paid without documentation, contracts awarded to allegedly unqualified contractors, inflated solar energy projects and payments for abandoned, partially executed or never built projects.
The report also accused NAPTIP of procurement irregularities involving awareness programmes, logistics contracts and solar lighting projects worth over ₦290 million, alleging that several contractors were paid in full despite not executing the approved projects.
In the case of NILDS, the Auditor General allegedly faulted the institution for failing to submit audited financial statements covering a ten-year period from 2012 to 2022, while also alleging non-payment of statutory stamp duties and expenses without due authorisation.
Describing the allegations as a grave breach of public trust, SERAP said corruption in electoral projects continues to undermine economic development, weaken public institutions and deprive millions of Nigerians of access to essential public services.
“The National Assembly has the responsibility to curb allegations of corruption in campaign funds,” the organization said, adding that the legislature can effectively fulfill its oversight role only by demonstrating transparency and accountability in the management of projects approved by lawmakers.
SERAP argued that the allegations, if left unaddressed, would continue to erode public confidence in governance and violate the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Public Procurement Act, which require transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources.
The organization gave Senate President Akpabio and President Abbas seven days to initiate action on its requests, warning that it would initiate legal proceedings in the public interest if the National Assembly failed to act.
