The House of Representatives has given approval for a significant increase in campaign spending limits for candidates seeking elective offices in Nigeria.
The decision was taken during Thursday’s plenary session after lawmakers considered, clause by clause, a report proposing amendments to the Electoral Act 2022.
With the new changes, the spending limit for presidential candidates has been doubled from N5 billion to N10 billion. Gubernatorial candidates will now be permitted to spend up to N3 billion on their campaigns, an increase from the previous N1 billion cap.
For senatorial contests, the allowable expenditure was raised from N100 million to N500 million, while candidates vying for seats in the House of Representatives can now spend as much as N250 million, up from N70 million.
At the state level, the campaign spending ceiling for House of Assembly candidates was increased from N30 million to N100 million. Local government chairmanship candidates will now be allowed to spend up to N100 million, compared to the former limit of N30 million. The cap for councillorship candidates was also adjusted upward from N5 million to N10 million.
Lawmakers also approved a sharp increase in the maximum amount individuals or organisations can donate to a candidate, raising the limit from N50 million to N500 million.
The amendments form part of broader legislative efforts to update Nigeria’s electoral framework in preparation for the 2027 general elections. Earlier in the week, the House also approved a proposal requiring the real-time transmission of election results.
The proposed amendments will only take effect after concurrence by the Senate and assent by the President.
