Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele says the revised Electoral Act has doubled the presidential campaign spending limit to N10 billion and introduced stiffer penalties for electoral offences.
The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has explained that the new electoral regime reviewed upward the election spending limits under Section 92(1-8) of the Electoral Act, increasing the threshold for presidential elections from N5 billion to N10 billion. In a statement released on Sunday by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Bamidele outlined key highlights of the revised framework.
According to him, the new regime also raised the spending limit for governorship elections from N1 billion to N3 billion; from N100 million to ₦500 million for the Senate; from N70 million to N250 million for the House of Representatives; from N30 million to N100 million for the House of Assembly; from N30 million to N60 million for Area Council elections; and from N5 million to N10 million for councillorship polls.
Bamidele further stated that under Section 125(1-2), the legislation stiffens measures against vote buying, impersonation and result manipulation, prescribing a two-year imprisonment or a fine ranging between N500,000 and N2 million, or both, upon conviction. He added that Section 74(1) mandates the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to release certified true copies of documents within 24 hours after payment, with failure to comply attracting “an imprisonment of a minimum term of two years without an option of fine.”
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