SERAP’s Transparency Challenge Returns Ahead of 2027: Tinubu, Atiku, Obi and Presidential Contenders Urged to Open Their Assets!
ABUJA, Nigeria — The demand for greater financial transparency among Nigeria’s political leaders is again gaining relevance as the country moves toward the 2027 general elections, with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) maintaining pressure for greater public access to the assets and liabilities of senior political officeholders and candidates.
SERAP has consistently argued that Nigerians should be able to scrutinise the financial interests of those seeking or holding public office, particularly at the presidential level. The organisation has also repeatedly called on political actors to reject vote-buying, electoral bribery, intimidation and other practices capable of undermining the credibility of elections.
However, the specific SERAP appeal urging then-presidential candidates Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to publish their assets and reject vote-buying was made in June 2022, ahead of the 2023 presidential election. It was not originally issued as a 2027 statement. The Guardian, Channels Television and Independent Nigeria all reported the appeal at the time. (The Guardian Nigeria)
The distinction is important as Nigeria enters another presidential election cycle.
President Bola Tinubu has since become an incumbent seeking another term, while Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi remain prominent figures in the opposition political landscape. Tinubu secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential nomination for the 2027 election in May 2026, according to the Presidency. (State House Abuja)
The broader question raised by SERAP, therefore, remains relevant: should Nigerians have greater access to information about the financial interests of political leaders before deciding whom to entrust with the management of public resources?
SERAP’s original challenge to presidential candidates
In its June 11, 2022 open letter, SERAP urged presidential candidates preparing for the 2023 election to publicly disclose details of their assets and liabilities and commit themselves to rejecting vote-buying and electoral bribery.
The organisation argued that although there was no constitutional requirement compelling presidential candidates to publish their assets before an election, voluntary disclosure would demonstrate a commitment to transparency and accountability.
SERAP’s appeal extended beyond Tinubu, Atiku and Obi. It addressed a broad field of presidential contenders from several political parties, including Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Omoyele Sowore and candidates from smaller parties. (Channels Television)
The organisation’s central argument was that public office should be treated as a public trust and that voters deserved assurances that candidates would manage state resources in the public interest.
That principle remains particularly significant in a country where political campaigns frequently involve enormous financial expenditure and where concerns about the influence of money on elections have persisted for decades.
Why asset disclosure matters
Asset declaration is already part of Nigeria’s constitutional framework for public officers.
SERAP has repeatedly pointed to the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, which requires public officers to declare their properties, assets and liabilities to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The organisation has argued, however, that filing an asset declaration with the appropriate institution is different from making the details accessible to the public.
In 2024, SERAP again urged President Tinubu to publish his asset declaration and encourage the vice-president, ministers and state governors to do likewise. The organisation said greater transparency would enable Nigerians to scrutinise the financial positions of public officials and identify potential conflicts of interest. (serap-nigeria.org)
The issue resurfaced in December 2024 after Tinubu said during his first presidential media chat that he would consider asking the CCB to release his assets.
SERAP welcomed the reported position but called on the President to translate the statement into action by formally requesting publication of his asset declaration and encouraging other senior officials to follow suit. The Guardian and PUNCH reported the organisation’s position. (The Guardian Nigeria)
The debate consequently moved beyond election campaigns and into the broader question of transparency in governance.
Vote-buying remains a democratic concern
SERAP’s earlier appeal also linked asset transparency with the fight against vote-buying.
Vote-buying involves the exchange of money, goods or other benefits for electoral support. It can occur through direct payments to voters, distribution of materials or inducements, and other forms of transactional politics.
The practice has remained a recurring concern in Nigerian elections.
SERAP argued in 2022 that vote-buying undermines political equality because voters with fewer economic resources can become particularly vulnerable to financial inducements. The organisation maintained that elections should be determined by citizens’ choices rather than the ability of candidates or political organisations to spend money on electoral inducements. (Moneycentral)
The issue remains relevant ahead of 2027, particularly as political parties intensify mobilisation and begin positioning their candidates for the presidential contest.
For WengGlobal, the key democratic question is not whether every political candidate should be presumed corrupt because of campaign spending, but whether Nigeria can build an electoral environment where voters are able to distinguish legitimate political mobilisation from unlawful financial inducement.
Tinubu, Atiku and Obi in the 2027 political landscape
The political circumstances surrounding the three figures have changed substantially since SERAP issued its original appeal.
Tinubu is now President of Nigeria and has secured the APC nomination for the 2027 presidential election. His May 2026 acceptance speech formally followed his nomination as the party’s presidential flagbearer. (State House Abuja)
Atiku, a former vice-president and long-standing presidential contender, is again part of the opposition realignment ahead of 2027. Peter Obi, who finished third in the 2023 presidential election, also remains a major opposition figure.
The political configuration has changed, but the transparency question raised by SERAP has not disappeared.
Indeed, the transition from candidates to officeholders makes the issue more consequential. Once elected, presidents and other public officials control public institutions, budgets, appointments and policies capable of affecting millions of Nigerians.
For that reason, financial transparency is not simply an election-season issue. It concerns accountability before, during and after public office.
SERAP’s continuing campaign for public disclosure
SERAP’s advocacy did not end with the 2023 election.
In May 2024, the organisation urged Tinubu to publish his asset declaration to mark his first year in office. It argued that making the information available could strengthen public confidence, increase scrutiny and provide citizens with a means of assessing potential conflicts of interest. (serap-nigeria.org)
The organisation also called for the creation of public databases through which asset declarations of senior public officials could be made accessible.
SERAP has maintained that transparency in asset declarations is consistent with Nigeria’s constitutional and international obligations concerning accountability and anti-corruption.
The organisation has cited provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Corruption in support of its position. (serap-nigeria.org)
The limits of voluntary disclosure
One challenge, however, is that voluntary publication by presidential candidates is different from a legally enforceable requirement.
As SERAP itself acknowledged in its 2022 appeal, there was no constitutional provision specifically requiring presidential candidates to publicly publish their assets before an election. The organisation was therefore asking candidates to adopt a higher standard of transparency than the minimum legal requirement. (Channels Television)
That distinction should remain clear in public debate.
A candidate’s failure to publish an asset declaration publicly does not, by itself, establish corruption or wrongdoing. Conversely, voluntary disclosure does not automatically prove that a candidate will govern honestly.
Asset declarations are one accountability mechanism among several.
Effective anti-corruption systems also require independent institutions, transparent public procurement, credible elections, strong financial controls, judicial independence, investigative journalism and meaningful access to government information.
A test for Nigeria’s 2027 election
As political parties prepare for the 2027 election, transparency could become an important measure by which voters assess candidates.
Candidates can be challenged not only on economic programmes, security policies, employment plans and social policy but also on their willingness to subject their personal financial interests to legitimate public scrutiny.
For incumbents, the issue is even broader. Nigerians can reasonably demand evidence that public officials have complied with existing asset-declaration requirements and that mechanisms designed to prevent conflicts of interest are functioning effectively.
For opposition candidates, the same standard should apply.
Transparency cannot credibly be demanded from political opponents while being ignored by one’s own political camp.
That principle is especially important in a competitive political environment where accusations of corruption are frequently deployed as campaign weapons.
A credible approach requires evidence, documentation and consistent standards rather than selective allegations.
What voters should watch
As the 2027 election approaches, voters and civil society organisations are likely to pay greater attention to candidates’ campaign financing, declarations of interests, sources of political funding and commitments on electoral integrity.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and relevant regulatory institutions will also have roles to play in ensuring that campaign activities comply with electoral laws.
For voters, however, transparency begins with demanding answers.
Who finances a candidate’s campaign? What businesses or investments are connected to the candidate? What assets and liabilities have been declared? Are there potential conflicts of interest? What mechanisms will prevent public resources from being diverted to political purposes?
These questions are not limited to Tinubu, Atiku or Obi. They apply to every individual seeking the presidency.
The original SERAP appeal may have been made in 2022, but its underlying democratic principle remains relevant as Nigeria approaches another presidential election.
The challenge before the country’s political class is therefore not simply to win votes but to demonstrate that political power can be pursued and exercised with transparency.
For WengGlobal, credible elections depend on more than the counting of ballots. They also depend on the conditions under which voters make their choices.
If Nigeria’s 2027 election is to deepen public confidence in democratic institutions, candidates should be prepared to answer legitimate questions about their finances, reject electoral bribery and commit themselves to transparent governance.
The responsibility ultimately extends beyond the candidates.
Civil society, the media, electoral institutions and voters must continue demanding evidence-based accountability from those seeking public office.
The central lesson from SERAP’s longstanding campaign is straightforward: political leaders asking Nigerians to entrust them with the nation’s resources should also be prepared to submit themselves to legitimate public scrutiny.
Sources
- SERAP — “First year anniversary: ‘It is time to publish your assets’, SERAP tells Tinubu,” May 26, 2024. (serap-nigeria.org)
- The Guardian Nigeria — “SERAP tasks Atiku, Tinubu, others on asset declarations, vote buying,” June 13, 2022. (The Guardian Nigeria)
- Channels Television — “2023 Polls: Publish Your Assets, SERAP Tells Atiku, Tinubu, Others,” June 12, 2022. (Channels Television)
- Independent Nigeria — “Publish Your Assets, Reject Vote Buying, SERAP Urges Atiku, Tinubu, Obi, Others,” June 13, 2022. (Independent Newspaper Nigeria)
- PUNCH — “SERAP urges Tinubu to publish assets,” December 30, 2024. (Punch Newspapers)
- The Guardian Nigeria — “SERAP to Tinubu: Publish your assets, encourage Shettima, others to do same,” December 29, 2024. (The Guardian Nigeria)
- The State House, Abuja — President Tinubu’s May 24, 2026 acceptance speech following his nomination as APC presidential flagbearer for 2027. (State House Abuja)
