The Electoral Hub, an advocacy group, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as anti-graft and financial institutions to monitor campaign spendings for the 2023 elections.

The Electoral Hub is an organ of the Initiative for Research, Innovation and Advocacy in Development (IRIAD).

Princess Hamman-Obels, director of IRIAD, Electoral Hub in an interview in Abuja said the call was to ensure compliance to the law and a fair playing ground for all.

“So where you have institutions like CBN, bankers community, EFCC, NDIC among others coming together with INEC to fashion out a framework about how to monitor campaign finance it would create a level playing field for all.

“We can always learn from best practices like in Poland where bank accounts of candidates are monitored,” she said.

She said even though finances were vital for election campaigns, excessive spendings should be curbed.

Ms Hamman-Obels said that men easily get bankrolled for electoral positions and they also  easily get godfather’s to sponsor their electoral positions but women, youths and PWDs do not easily have these opportunities.

“Although money is germane in the conduct of campaigns, this does not warrant the excessive deployment and vile use of money in the electoral process thus, contravening acceptable ethical standards.”

Ms Hamman-Obels said the cooperation of the anti-graft agency will ensure that election results are not determined by the amount of money a political party or a candidate spends during campaigns.

She reiterated that the different agencies responsible for monitoring finances could come together to monitor campaign finance to a broader framework so that all the burden would not be on INEC alone.

(NAN)