The Kimpact Development Initiative has warned that political finance has moved beyond transparency concerns and now poses a serious security risk to Nigeria’s elections.
The group said incidents of vote trading during the 2025 Anambra Governorship Election were significantly higher than violent incidents recorded during the poll.
This, it said, shows that cash mobilisation has become a major electoral risk factor ahead of the 2027 Nigerian General Election.
The observation was contained in a report titled “Violence Contained: Key Lessons from the 2025 Anambra Governorship Election”, unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of KDI, Bokula Idowu, said Nigeria must urgently strengthen its election security architecture to focus on preventing electoral offences rather than merely controlling crowds.
He said, “Vote-buying enforcement mechanisms must be strengthened at polling units, while party agent compliance should be strictly monitored.”
Idowu added that ballot secrecy must be protected through mandatory audits and clearer operational authority for on-site arrest of electoral offenders.
According to the report, the Anambra election showed that physical violence can be reduced even while electoral manipulation continues.
It therefore recommended that security agencies shift from a crowd-control orientation to a doctrine focused on preventing electoral offences.
The report also urged early warning systems to integrate campaign finance data and intelligence monitoring of abnormal cash circulation during the final weeks of election campaigns.
Idowu said high-risk local government areas should be flagged for financial surveillance, noting that youth unemployment and urban concentration often correlate with election-day clashes.
He advised that structured youth non-violence engagement programmes be launched in identified hotspots at least six months before elections.
The report further recommended that political parties sign youth mobilisation conduct frameworks and establish internal disciplinary systems for party agents.
On election management, the group called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to redesign polling unit layouts to ensure strict ballot secrecy.
It said presiding officers should certify secrecy compliance before voter accreditation begins, while supervisory officers should conduct physical checks at polling units.
KDI also advised the electoral commission to tighten party agent accreditation through mandatory pre-election training and signed conduct undertakings.
On logistics, the organisation warned of politicisation risks around transport unions and urged INEC to diversify logistics providers and create contingency deployment arrangements.
It also called for structured post-election audits covering result documentation, cancellation patterns and over-voting incidents to boost public confidence.
The report recommended the establishment of a National Electoral Offences Commission to ensure timely investigation and prosecution of vote buying, intimidation and electoral manipulation.
It also urged the amendment of the Electoral Act to clearly empower security personnel to arrest electoral offenders at polling units.
According to KDI, Nigeria has shown it can prevent widespread election violence, but the next challenge is safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
