The National Assembly of Nigeria has approved a significant upward review of campaign spending limits for candidates contesting the 2027 general elections, following the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026.

Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed the new thresholds in a statement issued on Sunday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, explaining that the revisions were made under Section 92 (1–8) of the Act.

According to Bamidele, the spending ceiling for presidential candidates has been increased from ₦5 billion to ₦10 billion, while that of governorship candidates was raised from ₦1 billion to ₦3 billion.

Under the new regime, candidates for the Senate can now spend up to ₦500 million, up from the previous ₦100 million, while House of Representatives candidates are allowed ₦250 million, compared to ₦70 million previously.

The spending limit for State House of Assembly elections was raised from ₦30 million to ₦100 million, Area Council chairmanship from ₦30 million to ₦60 million, and councillorship from ₦5 million to ₦10 million.

Bamidele said the Act also introduced stiffer penalties for electoral offences such as vote buying, impersonation and result manipulation. Under Section 125 (1–2), offenders now face a minimum of two years’ imprisonment, or fines ranging from ₦500,000 to ₦2 million, or both.

He further explained that Section 74 (1) mandates a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to release certified true copies of electoral documents within 24 hours of payment, warning that failure to comply attracts a minimum of two years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.

The Senate leader noted that the Act established a dedicated fund for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), guaranteeing its financial autonomy and ensuring that election funds are released at least six months before a general election.

Other key reforms include the mandatory use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation, compulsory electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), and the creation of a digital membership register by all political parties.

Bamidele said Section 60 (3) of the Act mandates electronic transmission of results, while Section 60 (6) prescribes a six-month jail term or a ₦500,000 fine, or both, for any presiding officer who deliberately frustrates the process. However, he clarified that manual transmission using Form EC8A is permitted where electronic transmission fails due to technical challenges.

The Act also abolishes indirect primaries, retaining only direct and consensus primaries to reduce monetisation of party politics and deepen internal democracy. Political parties are now required to maintain and submit a digital membership register to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, failing which they will be barred from fielding candidates.

On the legislative process, Bamidele said both chambers of the National Assembly harmonised their versions of the Electoral Bill 2026 and transmitted it to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to avert a constitutional crisis ahead of the 2027 elections. The President signed the bill into law within 24 hours of its passage.

Although some civil society organisations raised concerns over the speed of assent, Bamidele maintained that the process spanned two years and involved extensive consultations with stakeholders, including INEC, civil society groups, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and development partners.

He said the Electoral Act, 2026 consolidates Nigeria’s electoral reforms by strengthening INEC’s independence, enhancing transparency, integrating technology with safeguards and imposing stricter sanctions for electoral misconduct, with the overall aim of improving the credibility of future elections.