As many as 146 candidates contesting the 2027 presidential and governorship elections may collectively spend up to N571 billion, based on the campaign expenditure limits established by the Electoral Act 2026.
The amount is made up of 19 presidential candidates, who are each permitted to spend a maximum of N10 billion, and 127 governorship candidates, whose individual campaign spending limit stands at N3 billion under Section 92 of the new Electoral Act.
With 19 presidential candidates, the total permitted expenditure for the presidential contest comes to N190 billion. The 127 governorship candidates, meanwhile, have a combined spending limit of N381 billion.
When both categories are added together, the maximum permissible campaign expenditure is N571 billion. However, the figure should not be regarded as money already available to the candidates or an indication of what they will actually spend.
The figures come as the Independent National Electoral Commission released the personal information and credentials of the 19 presidential candidates and their running mates ahead of the 2027 election.
The publication has also opened the way for the presidential campaign season, which began on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Data from election tracker NGelections.com shows that 127 candidates are currently associated with governorship contests across 28 states. The tracker indicates that 122 have been nominated, four have declared their intentions, while one remains under monitoring.
However, INEC had not yet released the complete number of governorship candidates on its official website. The commission’s 2027 election page currently indicates that the candidates’ list “This will be available soon.”
Governorship elections are expected to take place in 28 states in 2027. Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun will not participate in the election because they are operating on the off-cycle election timetable.
INEC has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while elections for governors and members of the State Houses of Assembly will hold on February 6, 2027.
However, there are some changes in the New Electoral Act.
The Electoral Act 2026 has introduced substantially higher campaign expenditure limits compared with the limits contained in the previous legislation.
Under Section 92 of the new law, a presidential candidate is permitted to spend as much as N10 billion, while the maximum for a governorship candidate is N3 billion.
For senatorial candidates, the campaign spending limit is N500 million, while candidates contesting seats in the House of Representatives are allowed to spend up to N250 million.
Candidates seeking election into a State House of Assembly can spend a maximum of N100 million. The same limit applies to candidates contesting Area Council chairmanship positions.
For Area Council councillorship elections, the maximum campaign expenditure is N10 million.
The legislation also restricts the amount that an individual can donate to a candidate. A single donor is not permitted to contribute more than N500 million to one candidate.
The law further provides penalties for candidates who deliberately go beyond the prescribed campaign expenditure limits.
A candidate found to have knowingly exceeded the limit may be fined an amount equivalent to one per cent of the permitted expenditure limit, sentenced to a maximum of 12 months in prison, or subjected to both penalties.
This means the spending limits are legally enforceable requirements rather than recommendations candidates can choose to follow.
*Presidential Contest*
The 2027 presidential election features incumbent President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, alongside 16 other candidates.
INEC’s official publication contains the names, personal details and credentials of all 19 presidential candidates and their running mates, making the information available for public scrutiny as required by the Electoral Act.
Other candidates listed include the Peoples Democratic Party’s Sandy Onor, African Action Congress candidate Omoyele Sowore, Peoples Redemption Party candidate Donald Duke, Social Democratic Party candidate Adewole Adebayo and Allied Peoples Movement candidate Seyi Makinde.
The presidential field also includes candidates representing the National Democratic Party, Young Progressives Party, Action Alliance, Boot Party, Democratic Liberty Alliance, Zenith Labour Party, Labour Party, National Rescue Movement, Action Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and Action Peoples Party.
With each of the 19 presidential candidates having a N10 billion spending limit, the presidential race carries a combined statutory campaign ceiling of N190 billion.
*Governorship Race*
At the governorship level, election data currently tracks 127 candidates belonging to 18 political parties across the 28 states where governorship elections will be conducted in 2027.
The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party have the highest number of governorship candidates, with 28 each.
They are followed by the African Democratic Congress with 21 candidates, the Labour Party with 16 and the Nigeria Democratic Congress with nine.
The Social Democratic Party has six candidates, while the Allied Peoples Movement, Peoples Redemption Party and Accord have three candidates each. Other political parties have fewer candidates.
Based on the N3 billion spending limit for each governorship candidate, the 127 candidates have a combined statutory ceiling of N381 billion.
Adding this to the N190 billion available as the maximum spending limit for the presidential candidates brings the overall potential campaign expenditure ceiling to N571 billion.
The figure does not necessarily mean that N571 billion will be spent during the campaigns. Rather, it represents the highest amount the 146 candidates could legally spend if every candidate reaches the maximum limit allowed under Section 92.
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