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The House of Representatives has approved an increase in the campaign spending limits for candidates contesting elective offices in Nigeria.
The legislators raised the limits during Thursday’s plenary, following the clause-by-clause consideration of the report seeking an amendment to the Electoral Act 2022.
Under the approved changes, lawmakers increased the cap for presidential candidates from N5 billion in the existing act to N10 billion.
For gubernatorial candidates, campaign funds were increased from N1 billion to N3 billion, while the limit for senatorial candidates was raised from N100 million to N500 million.
For state constituencies, the campaign expense ceiling was raised from N30 million to N100 million, and for councillorship candidates, N10 million from N5 million.
The lawmakers also approved an increase in the maximum amount an individual or entity can donate to a candidate, raising it from N50 million to N500 million.
The amendments are part of ongoing legislative efforts to review the electoral law ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to Daily Trust, a political scientist, Prof. Gbade Ojo, said the rising cost of politics has fundamentally altered the nature of Nigeria’s democracy.
“By this development, the implication is that our democracy is no longer for the masses. It is no longer a government of the people, by the people and for the people. What we now have is a government of the rich, by the rich and for the rich,” he said.
He added that the development will breed a non-inclusive democracy that entrenches social stratification between the haves and the have-nots.
“Those currently in government, whether in the Senate or the executive, feel compelled to amass wealth simply to survive the next election cycle. Unfortunately, our democracy has descended to this level,” he added.
Ojo also predicted a worsening of vote buying.
“With politicians able to deploy even larger sums of money, the inducement of voters becomes easier and more entrenched. Money will increasingly determine outcomes, further eroding the integrity of the electoral process,” he said.
On Wednesday, lawmakers approved a proposal mandating the real-time transmission of election results. The amendment will come into force once it is approved by the Senate and assented to by the President.
