Arewa group defends INEC, says SERAP’s N126bn allegation premature

The Arewa Think Tank has cautioned against what it described as the premature attribution of alleged financial irregularities within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to its current leadership.

In a statement issued by its convener, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Monday, the group said the seven-day ultimatum issued by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), demanding that INEC account for more than N126.46 billion in electoral funds allegedly diverted, mismanaged, irregularly paid or otherwise unaccounted for, was premature.

SERAP, in a letter dated September 12, 2026, said the allegations were contained in the 2023 audited report of the Auditor-General of the Federation. It called on INEC to provide details of the payments, beneficiaries, contracts, procurement processes and evidence of the delivery and utilisation of the goods and services involved.

However, Yakubu urged Nigerians and civil society organisations to distinguish between an audit finding relating to transactions and a proven case of personal wrongdoing against the current INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan.

According to him, it would be unfair and potentially damaging to the integrity of the electoral process to assume that Amupitan personally authorised or benefited from the transactions simply because they occurred within the commission.

“An allegation contained in an audit report is not the same thing as a judicial finding of guilt. We must allow the relevant institutions to investigate the transactions, identify the officials who were responsible at the material time and establish the facts before anyone is pronounced guilty,” Yakubu said.

He maintained that the allegations cited by SERAP primarily concerned expenditures and procurement processes covering periods between January and December 2022 and, in some cases, extending to December 2023.

Yakubu therefore questioned the wisdom of directly associating the historical transactions with the current leadership of INEC without first establishing who occupied the relevant offices, who authorised the payments and who had custody of the procurement records at the time.

“Professor Joash Amupitan should not be made a scapegoat for every historical transaction within INEC. If there are questions arising from previous expenditures, let the records speak. Let the investigators identify the people who initiated, approved, processed and benefited from those transactions,” he stated.

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SERAP had quoted the Auditor-General as raising concerns over more than N112 billion allegedly paid for ballot boxes, electoral devices, items and materials without competitive bidding or a Bureau of Public Procurement Certificate of No Objection.

It also cited alleged payments of more than N1 billion for Toyota Prado vehicles, over N3 billion to four contractors for ballot guides and sensitive electoral materials, more than N9 billion for 22 contracts for similar goods and services, as well as other payments relating to audit services, accreditation devices, sleeping mats and digital archiving.

Yakubu said the seriousness of the figures made an independent investigation necessary, but warned against turning the allegations into political ammunition.

“If N126 billion is genuinely unaccounted for, Nigerians deserve answers. Nobody should shield corruption or financial misconduct. But accountability must be based on evidence, not assumptions. The proper question is: who did what, when did they do it, who approved it and where did the money or materials go?” he asked.

The Arewa Think Tank convener also welcomed SERAP’s call for relevant agencies to investigate the matter, saying that due process should be allowed to take its course.