The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says it will independently assess allegations that the All Progressives Congress and Accord Party spent more than N100 billion during the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.

INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna said the electoral body would not rely solely on calculations contained in a media investigation and must establish the facts through its own findings before determining whether any campaign finance rules were breached.

The allegation followed an investigation by Saturday PUNCH, which estimated that the two leading parties spent more than N100 billion on activities including campaign materials, party agents, canvassers and alleged voter inducement.

The report estimated that billions of naira were spent on alleged vote buying across polling units in the state.

Those figures have not been independently confirmed by INEC.

Haruna said the commission would have to conduct its own calculations before deciding whether the spending attributed to the parties or their candidates violated provisions of the Electoral Act.

He stressed that INEC could not simply adopt the arithmetic of another organisation as its official finding.

The development introduces a new regulatory dimension to questions surrounding the role of money in the Osun election, which was won by incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party.

Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, while the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, polled 444,815 votes.

Under the Electoral Act 2026, a governorship candidate may spend a maximum of N3 billion on election expenses.

The law also requires political parties to submit audited election expenditure returns to INEC within the prescribed period.

However, determining the actual amount spent during an election may present significant challenges, particularly where expenditure is conducted outside official party accounts or involves alleged cash inducement.

Former and serving election officials quoted in reports on the issue have acknowledged the difficulty of tracing all campaign expenditure.

Former Zamfara Resident Electoral Commissioner Asmau Maikudi said INEC has mechanisms for monitoring campaign finance but noted that political parties themselves hold important records needed to establish expenditure.

Former Resident Electoral Commissioner Sam Egwu also warned that calculating actual spending would require reliable evidence and a clear methodology.

Vote buying is separately prohibited under Nigeria's electoral laws and should not be regarded as legitimate campaign expenditure.

INEC's planned assessment does not mean the N100 billion allegation has been established, nor does it amount to a finding that either APC, Accord or their candidates violated the law.

The commission would first need to determine what expenditure can be substantiated and how the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act apply.

Neither party has been found guilty of breaching campaign expenditure limits on the basis of the allegation.