Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has charged all 19 presidential candidates announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to publish details of their assets and liabilities.
In a statement by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP also asked them to make public assets of their spouses and, where applicable, their unmarried children under 18, ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The rights organization equally urged the candidates to disclose the legitimate sources of their significant assets and publicly reject vote-buying and electoral bribery before and during the election.
SERAP asked them to “go beyond the bare legal minimum and voluntarily embrace higher standards of transparency, accountability and integrity in seeking Nigeria’s highest elected office.
“Candidates asking Nigerians to entrust them with enormous constitutional powers over public finances, natural resources, appointments and security institutions should be willing, before asking for their votes, to demonstrate that their personal financial affairs can withstand reasonable public scrutiny.”
“Nigeria’s democracy belongs to its citizens. Votes must not be bought. Public office must not be treated as private property.
“Those seeking the highest public office must be willing to meet the highest standards of transparency, accountability and integrity,” it said.
2027: Publish your assets before election – SERAP tells Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, others