No political party is allowed to receive funds from abroad or funds donated anonymously

As campaigns for the 2023 General Elections kicked off on Wednesday September 28, the National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Festus Okoye, says that in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution and Electoral Law, no political party registered in the Nigeria cannot operate an overseas account or receive funds from overseas. They also cannot receive funds donated anonymously.

Okoye said this while appearing on Channels TV tonight. In his words;

”While the guiding electoral legal framework for this election remains the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended and the Elections Act 2002 and the regulations and guidelines rejected by the National and Independent Electoral Commission, if you look at the Article 225 of the Constitution of Nigeria, it is very clear that

1. No political party registered in Nigeria shall hold funds outside the country. In other words, a political party cannot open an account and have funds disbursed to that account outside the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

2. It clarifies that no political party may, under any circumstances, retain funds paid to it from outside the country and if such funds are paid to the political party from outside the country, that political party has the ‘constitutional and legal obligation to return these funds to INEC within 21 days from the date of receipt of these funds.’

When asked if political parties could not get funds from Nigerians or diaspora organizations, Okoye replied;

”Regarding Article 225 of the constitution, he made no distinction. He says you shouldn’t receive funds from outside, so if you receive funds from Niger, Chad, Benin Republic, it comes down to the same problem”

Regarding crowdfunding, Okoye said;

”The law is very clear. The law states that no political party is obligated to receive funds, anonymous donations, from sources they cannot testify to and the law is also very clear that when people give you funds you must get their names , know their addresses, etc. .and if you receive funds from a source you cannot identify, you must remit those funds to INEC”

Watch a video of him speaking below…