Bukola Idowu, Executive Director of Kimpact Development Initiative, has criticised the proposed N10 billion campaign spending limit for presidential elections. He described the figure as excessive and warned that it could open the door to corruption in the electoral process.
Idowu argued that the amount does not reflect economic reality, noting that a president does not earn up to that sum in four years of salary. According to him, raising the spending cap without clear data or justification makes elections appear commercialised rather than democratic.
He questioned how lawmakers arrived at N3 billion for governorship races across states with varying sizes and populations. Using examples like Kano, Bayelsa and Lagos, he said there was no statistical basis for fixing a uniform spending limit.
Idowu maintained that electoral reforms should be backed by facts, data and fairness. He called for transparency and evidence-based decisions to ensure the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic system ahead of the 2027 elections.
