Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to presidential candidates ahead of the February 2023 presidential election, urging them to urgently publish details of their assets and liabilities, and to publicly commit to rejecting vote buying and electoral bribery before and during the elections.
SERAP said:
While there is no constitutional requirement for presidential candidates to publish their assets and liabilities before elections, doing so would show that you can stand up for transparency in assets declaration by public officers if elected.
In the open letter dated Saturday, 11 June 2022, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said:
The public office is a public trust. As such, the voters deserve to hear from presidential candidates regarding what they will do about issues of public interest, particularly with respect to integrity, selflessness, openness, accountability, human rights, and the rule of law if elected.
As you and your parties prepare for presidential election campaigns, we hope that you will seize the opportunity to show your commitment to addressing these fundamental issues of public interest by immediately publishing details of your assets and rejecting vote buying, intimidation and harassment.
The letter, read in part,
Publicly committing to these issues will also show the voters that if elected you would act solely to protect the public interest; and avoid placing yourself under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence you in the discharge of your constitutional duties.
It would also show that you would be accountable to the public for your actions and submit yourself to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
Your public commitment to these issues will also demonstrate to the voters that if elected you would act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner, and that you would not withhold information from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
Presidential candidates for Nigeria’s general elections in 2023 include: Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP); Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of All Progressive Congress (APC); Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP); Mr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP); and Professor Peter Umeadi of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).
Others include: Prince Malik Ado-Ibrahim of Young Progressive Party (YPP); Omoyele Sowore of Africa Action Congress (AAC); Prince Adewole Adebayo of Social Democratic Party (SDP); Mr Kola Abiola of Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Professor Christopher Imumulen of Accord Party (AP); Dumebi Kachikwu of African Democratic Congress (ADC); and Yusuf Mamman Dan Talle of Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
