Odita Sunday 
2027: HURIWA Asks INEC To Clarify Rules On Tompolo’s Reported Campaign Donations
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to explain how large-scale donations of vehicles and other campaign logistics should be treated under Nigeria’s electoral and campaign-finance rules ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The group’s call followed reports that High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, donated dozens of branded vehicles and other equipment in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the organisation was not accusing Tompolo or any political actor of violating the law, but wanted INEC to provide clear answers on how such substantial in-kind contributions should be declared, valued and recorded.
According to HURIWA, Tompolo, who operates the security firm Tantita, has reportedly donated 50 brand-new vehicles to Kano State, 44 to Borno State, 34 to Katsina State and 25 to Taraba State for house-to-house campaign activities.
The organisation said the reported scale of the donations made it necessary for Nigerians to know what limits and disclosure requirements apply when private individuals provide expensive vehicles and other logistics for a presidential campaign.
HURIWA said it was particularly interested in the regulatory implications because Tompolo is a prominent figure in the oil and gas sector with business interests involving Federal Government contracts.
The group, however, stressed that having such business interests did not automatically mean that the reported donations were improper or unlawful.
Instead, it said the circumstances made transparency even more important and required the relevant authorities to establish whether all applicable campaign-finance rules were being followed.
“Is INEC watching?” Onwubiko asked, while stressing that HURIWA was not calling on the electoral commission to pronounce anyone guilty of an offence.
He said the commission should simply explain what the law requires when an individual provides vehicles and other campaign materials to support a presidential candidate.
“Has the donation been properly declared? How should such in-kind contributions be valued for regulatory purposes? Who is responsible for recording them, and are the applicable campaign-finance limits and disclosure requirements being observed?” he asked.
HURIWA said political donations were a legitimate part of democratic participation and that wealthy individuals were not barred from supporting candidates because of their financial capacity.
The group, however, maintained that once substantial resources were deployed for campaign purposes, there should be transparency about their value and how they were accounted for.
It urged INEC to establish the facts surrounding the reported donations and, where necessary, request relevant documentation from the political party, campaign organisation or other responsible parties.
HURIWA also called on the All Progressives Congress (APC), like every other political party and presidential candidate participating in the 2027 election, to comply with all applicable electoral and campaign-finance requirements.
The organisation cautioned against describing the reported donations as political corruption without first examining the facts and the relevant provisions of the law.
At the same time, it said INEC should not ignore legitimate questions about significant campaign contributions simply because they involved supporters of the governing party.
HURIWA therefore asked INEC to clarify whether donations such as vehicles, generators and electronic equipment must be valued and included in campaign-finance returns, whether the reported donations had been properly documented and disclosed, and what regulatory steps would follow if non-compliance were established.
The group said the same standards should apply to the APC and all other political parties and presidential candidates, arguing that transparency in campaign financing was essential to public confidence in the electoral process.
According to HURIWA, the credibility of the 2027 election would depend not only on what happens on election day but also on transparency surrounding the resources used to mobilise and influence voters before the polls.
The organisation therefore urged INEC to provide clear guidance and demonstrate that Nigeria’s campaign-finance rules would be applied fairly and consistently to political parties, candidates and donors.
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