The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify the regulatory status of 153 branded vehicles reportedly donated by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign.
The vehicles were reportedly distributed across four states — 50 in Kano, 44 in Borno, 34 in Katsina and 25 in Taraba — for house-to-house campaign mobilisation.
HURIWA said the scale of the reported donation raises questions about campaign-finance disclosure, valuation and applicable contribution limits ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The rights group stressed that it was not alleging that the donation was illegal.
Rather, it wants INEC to clarify whether the vehicles, generators and electronic equipment reportedly donated must be declared, valued and reflected in campaign-finance records.
HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said INEC should provide clarity instead of allowing speculation to persist.
“Is INEC watching?
“We are not asking INEC to declare that any offence has been committed.
“We are asking the electoral commission to tell Nigerians what the law requires when an individual donates 153 vehicles and other campaign logistics to support a presidential candidate.
“Has the donation been properly declared?
“How should such in-kind contributions be valued?
“Who is responsible for recording them, and are the applicable campaign-finance limits and disclosure requirements being observed?
“These are legitimate questions for an electoral regulator to answer,” Onwubiko said.
HURIWA noted that Tompolo’s prominence in the oil and gas sector and his reported involvement in Federal Government contracts did not, by themselves, establish wrongdoing or a conflict of interest.
However, the organisation said the circumstances make transparency and compliance with campaign-finance rules particularly important.
HURIWA urged INEC to clarify the rules governing in-kind campaign donations and establish whether the reported vehicles have been properly documented and disclosed.
It also asked the commission to take appropriate regulatory action if evidence of non-compliance is established.
The organisation stressed that the same standards must apply to the APC and every other political party and presidential candidate contesting the 2027 election.
HURIWA said the credibility of the electoral process depends not only on voting and counting but also on transparency surrounding the resources deployed for political mobilisation.
It urged INEC to act proactively and demonstrate that Nigeria’s campaign-finance rules can be applied impartially, regardless of the identity or political influence of donors, parties or candidates.
