2027: Opposition, APC clash over campaign funding

Opposition parties have raised concerns over campaign funding ahead of the 2027 general elections, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress enjoys a financial advantage while economic hardship and fear of political reprisals are discouraging potential donors from supporting rival parties.

In separate interviews with Sunday PUNCH, officials of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, the Tanimu Turaki-led interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Peoples Redemption Party, the Young Progressives Party and the Obidient Movement Worldwide said the funding gap could undermine their ability to compete effectively with the ruling party.

They said they were turning to grassroots mobilisation, town hall meetings, digital campaigns, voluntary contributions and political alliances to reach voters without matching the APC’s financial resources.

The concerns come as the Electoral Act 2026 raises campaign expenditure limits, increasing the maximum amount a presidential candidate can spend from N5bn to N10bn, while the ceiling for governorship candidates rises from N1bn to N3bn.

Under the law, senatorial candidates can spend up to N500m, against N100m previously, while the limit for House of Representatives candidates has increased from N70m to N250m.

State House of Assembly candidates can now spend N100m, compared with N30m previously.

The spending ceiling for Area Council chairmanship candidates has also risen from N30m to N60m, while that for councillorship candidates has doubled from N5m to N10m.

The law further increased the maximum contribution an individual or entity may make to a political party or candidate from N50m to N500m.

The National Assembly defended the review, arguing that inflation and rising costs of advertising, logistics and campaign organisation made the previous limits unrealistic.

However, opposition leaders said the higher ceilings had raised fresh concerns about the ability of parties with limited resources to compete in an electoral environment where money remained a major factor.

NDC: APC has bottomless resources

The National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Osa Director, said the APC enjoyed “bottomless resources”, but argued that the financial advantage would not translate into electoral victory.

“The signs and the stigma are there for everybody to see, hence the reason more people are resolved to vote them out in 2027,” he added.

Director said the NDC would prioritise town hall meetings and grassroots engagement rather than make expensive rallies the centrepiece of its campaign.

He said the party had begun mobilising at the local level and was building structures across constituencies for elections into state and federal legislative offices, governorships and other positions.

“However, the NDC is going to cope because we will campaign through the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. Already, we are holding town hall meetings everywhere, including the structures at the local level, House of Assembly, governorship and National Assembly,” he stated.

The NDC spokesman dismissed suggestions that the party lacked visibility because it had not organised large rallies, arguing that its campaign strategy was deliberately focused on direct engagement with voters.

Director attributed the funding disparity to what he alleged was the ruling party’s failure to distinguish between public funds and personal resources.

He said, “Funding is a challenge to anyone except the APC, because they have not been able to understand the difference between public funds and personal resources. To them, Nigeria’s money is theirs.”

Director acknowledged that his party was also affected by the country’s economic difficulties but said it was managing with the resources available to it.

The NDC spokesman also criticised what he described as attempts to use financial inducements to influence voters.

He argued that voters should not feel compelled to support a candidate simply because they had received money during a campaign.

PDP: Funding not biggest challenge

For the Tanimu Turaki-led interim NWC of the PDP, campaign funding is not the most pressing problem confronting opposition parties.

The group’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, told Sunday PUNCH that restrictions on political participation, alleged intimidation and threats of violence posed greater risks than the inability to match the ruling party’s financial resources.

“Personally, I don’t think the campaign funding challenge of the opposition should be the primary issue here. It’s the constriction of the political space, and this is a complaint we have made several times,” he said.

Ememobong said the PDP was relying on committed members willing to contribute their personal resources, as it had done when the party was established.

The National Publicity Secretary argued that members’ financial contributions had enabled the party to continue its activities despite ongoing legal disputes.

“For us in the PDP, it is a known fact that when we started, we did not have money. We only had people who were dedicated.

“So, what money could have done, people did. That is the funding model we are also taking today. You will see that, despite the fact that we are still in courts, we are still moving, because people have committed their resources to the cause. That makes it easier for us to run, “ he added.

Ememobong said financial resources alone could not guarantee political participation in areas where candidates and party members allegedly faced threats.

“The more important thing is the systemic constriction of the political space, where you now discover that threats are being issued that you cannot go to some places except you take permission from governors.

“There are also intimidation and threats of violence still happening across the country. Those are the real issues, not just funding constraints,” he stated.

Ememobong maintained that political parties must campaign freely and safely for elections to be credible, arguing that money could not compensate for restrictions on movement or threats against candidates and supporters.

PRP: Poverty exploited during elections

The National Chairman of the PRP, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said his party and other opposition groups seeking to build an alliance against the APC lacked the financial resources to match the ruling party.

He blamed the monetisation of elections on worsening poverty, accusing political leaders of exploiting voters’ economic vulnerability to secure electoral support.

“The PRP, like most parties, feels the pain of a nation struggling to establish the basic principles of democratic governance by the monetisation of the electoral process.

“Our people’s poverty is deepened by governors and those in power and further exploited during elections. We have seen that in successive governments, but this particular one is worse than the others. They have turned the political arena into a contest of who has the most money to buy people’s support and possibly votes,” Baba-Ahmed added.

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The PRP chairman said the group and its allies were developing campaign strategies that would not depend on distributing money to voters.

He argued that opposition parties without access to substantial financial resources would have to concentrate on presenting credible policy alternatives and convincing Nigerians that a change of government could improve their living conditions.

“The PRP and most parties involved in the alliance to build a solid resistance to the return of the APC really don’t have that kind of money. That is because we don’t have any sources to steal from. And so we’re designing alternative campaign strategies that will not involve insulting people by returning the money that was stolen from them,” Baba-Ahmed said.

The PRP chairman criticised the distribution of cash to women, youths and other groups, describing it as an attempt to use money allegedly taken from public resources to secure electoral support.

He said his party would focus on policy proposals, credible leadership, institutional reform and restructuring rather than financial inducements.

He also argued that cooperation among opposition parties and the quality of their candidates could help reduce the influence of money in the elections.

“Above all, we believe that the quality of the candidates we have, the efforts to form a political alliance and its outcome will literally destroy this steal-and-bribe strategy. And that may be the solution,” the PRP chairman added.

Baba-Ahmed warned that the monetisation of politics could undermine democratic accountability by encouraging voters to make decisions based on immediate financial benefits rather than candidates’ records and policy proposals.

YPP turns to digital campaigns

The YPP National Publicity Secretary, Martins Egbeola, also identified access to state resources as a major advantage for the ruling party, arguing that economic hardship had made fundraising more difficult for opposition parties and their supporters.

“The funding challenge is a general problem confronting opposition parties, except perhaps the ruling APC, which enjoys the advantage of access to state resources. This is one of the challenges undermining a level playing field in our democracy,” he said.

Egbeola said the party was adopting a cost-effective strategy based on digital platforms, grassroots mobilisation and direct engagement with voters.

According to him, limited finances should not prevent the party from communicating its message or presenting candidates to the electorate.

Egbeola maintained that the election should be decided by the quality of candidates and their proposals rather than the size of their campaign budgets.

“We believe Nigerians deserve leadership that prioritises their welfare rather than politics driven by money and the abuse of public resources,” he said.

Obidient Movement alleges donor intimidation

Meanwhile, the Media Director of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Onyeka Dike, said alleged intimidation of individuals supporting Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso was discouraging potential donors from openly identifying with the opposition.

He cited the sealing of the business premises of Tobore Alex Agbah, a businessman accused of organising a 10,000-man march in support of the Obi-Kwankwaso alliance, by the Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Although the council provided its explanation for the action, Dike said the timing and circumstances raised concerns about possible political intimidation.

“This is the kind of incident that sends a chilling message to other Nigerians who may wish to support the opposition,” Dike said.

He alleged that some businessmen sympathetic to Obi’s political ambition were afraid to provide financial support because they feared their businesses could become targets.

“As a result, many legitimate businessmen who believe in him are afraid to openly identify with his campaign or provide financial support because they fear that their businesses could become targets,” he added.

He contrasted what he described as pressure on opposition supporters with reports of individuals of questionable wealth purchasing large numbers of campaign buses.

Dike said the movement would continue to mobilise supporters through grassroots structures, voluntary contributions and other legitimate means rather than attempt to compete with the ruling party’s financial resources.

“Our strength is the people, and we intend to turn that strength into votes, lawful participation and a decisive democratic mandate,” he said.

He added, “No amount of pressure, fear or financial imbalance can erase the hunger for change. The time is short, but our resolve is firm. We will keep organising, keep mobilising and keep pushing for a New Nigeria.”

Don’t blame us for your misery, APC tells opposition

Meanwhile, the APC has denied allegations that it uses state funds to finance its campaigns.

The party said its financial strength reflected its widespread acceptance and the support of major donors, insisting that its position as the ruling party did not mean it used government resources to finance its activities.

Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the party National Director of Publicity, Malam Bala Ibrahim, described the opposition’s allegations as baseless.

He challenged the parties to provide evidence that public funds or money from the state treasury had been diverted to finance the APC’s campaigns.

“Have they (opposition parties) got any proof that APC, as the ruling party, is getting funds from public funds or getting money from the state treasury? Is our party getting assistance from the government by way of largesse or by way of public money diverted or budgeted, money that has been appropriated for certain public use that is pumped into the APC for campaign?

“Unless and until there is such a proof, the opposition parties have no point,” Ibrahim said.

He maintained that being in power did not justify the use of public resources for party activities, dismissing suggestions that the APC’s position in government automatically translated into the misuse of state funds.

He argued that the party’s ability to attract more donors reflected its membership strength and public acceptance rather than evidence of access to public funds.

“It is natural that the APC has more major donors and campaign financiers than other parties. We are in the majority. We have the public acceptance. I can tell you that the majority of Nigerians are members of the APC. Nigerians are fully supportive of what the APC is doing,” Ibrahim said.

He noted that the party should not be expected to weaken its financial capacity to accommodate opposition parties that had not attracted comparable support.

He urged opposition parties to address their difficulties in attracting supporters rather than blame the APC for their funding challenges.

“It is unfortunate they have not gotten the kind of acceptance the APC has. And if they want to be schooled on how to get that acceptance, they should come and register with us,” he added.