By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate reports that President Bola Tinubu’s campaign machinery is producing 40,000 customised tablets in China for political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The association made the call in a press statement dated November 1, 2026, signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko.

HURIWA expressed concern that the reported production of the devices could signal an increasing influence of money and material inducements in Nigeria’s electoral politics, especially amid economic hardship and the Federal Government’s continued reliance on borrowing to finance public expenditure.

It demanded that the APC and Tinubu’s campaign organisation disclose who is funding the project, its total cost and whether the money is coming from private political donors or public resources.

The association said the reported tablets would carry campaign messages in English, Yoruba and Hausa before being distributed among supporters. It questioned the need for what it described as an expensive mobilisation project and called for transparency over its financial arrangements.

HURIWA said, “The association demands immediate answers: Who is paying for these 40,000 tablets? How much will their production and distribution cost? Is the money coming from private political donors or public resources? Who authorised the project, and who will account for the expenditure?”

It also criticised what it described as a contradiction between the reported capacity to finance large-scale political mobilisation and the government’s repeated resort to borrowing to meet national obligations.

“The association asks whether the administration has sufficient resources for elaborate political mobilisation but must borrow to address the country’s pressing developmental needs,” the statement said.

The rights group insisted that public funds must not be deployed to finance partisan campaigns and called for an investigation if credible evidence emerges that government resources or facilities are being used for the reported project.

Turning to INEC, HURIWA accused the electoral body of failing to demonstrate sufficient urgency in monitoring campaign spending ahead of the 2027 elections.

It asked when the commission would publish its campaign expenditure monitoring framework, deploy monitoring mechanisms and begin tracking the financial activities of political parties and candidates.

“INEC cannot wait until after the elections before asking questions about campaign expenditure. It must establish clear monitoring procedures, demand financial disclosures and enforce the statutory spending limits before political actors overwhelm the electoral process with money,” HURIWA said.

The association also challenged the EFCC and ICPC to explain what it described as their silence over reports of extravagant political spending and alleged voter inducement.

It urged the two agencies to examine credible evidence relating to the sources of campaign funds, procurement of expensive campaign materials and any possible diversion of public resources.

HURIWA further warned that distributing expensive gifts or other benefits to influence voters could amount to electoral malpractice, depending on the circumstances, and called on INEC and law enforcement agencies to investigate credible evidence of vote buying or unlawful inducement.

“The 2027 presidential election must not become an auction in which the highest spender determines the political future of millions of Nigerians,” the association said.

It maintained that the reported production of the tablets raised questions that the APC and Tinubu’s campaign organisation should answer publicly, including the project’s cost, funding arrangements and compliance with electoral and financial regulations.

HURIWA called for immediate disclosure, warning that political power should not be used to deploy public resources for partisan advantage.

“Nigeria is not a private estate, public funds are not campaign war chests, and INEC must not surrender its constitutional responsibility to powerful political interests,” the statement added