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The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the 19 presidential candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2027 election to voluntarily declare their assets ahead of the polls.
The rights group made the call in a statement released on Wednesday.
SERAP said candidates should publish details of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and unmarried children under 18, and disclose the legitimate sources of their significant assets.
SERAP noted that while the 1999 Constitution (as amended) does not expressly require candidates to declare assets before voting, Section 140(1) mandates that an elected president must declare assets before assuming office.
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SERAP is urging candidates to go further and disclose now, so Nigerians can scrutinise them before casting their votes.
“The 19 candidates seeking to become President should lead by example. Nigerians have a right to scrutinise the wealth, financial interests and sources of assets of those seeking to manage the country’s public resources,” SERAP stated.
The organisation warned that if candidates fail or neglect to voluntarily publish their assets, it will “promptly consider all appropriate legal actions to ensure that Nigerians have access to information necessary to scrutinise their wealth, financial interests and sources of assets.”
“Let the campaign begin with transparency. Clean campaign, clean government,” SERAP charged.
