By George Mgbeleke
\nThe Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) raises the alarm over reports that President Bola Tinubu\u2019s campaign machinery is producing 40,000 customised tablets in China for political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.<\/p>\n
HURIWA in a statement by national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,described the development as a disturbing indication of the growing influence of money and material inducements in Nigeria\u2019s electoral politics, particularly at a time when millions of citizens struggle with economic hardship and the Federal Government continues to rely on borrowing to finance public expenditure.<\/p>\n
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?
\nHURIWA says the reported tablets will reportedly carry campaign messages in English, Yoruba and Hausa before distribution among supporters. It questions why a political campaign requires such an expensive mobilisation project and challenges those behind it to disclose the financial arrangements.
\nThe association warns that Nigerians cannot afford another election in which financial muscle, expensive gifts, vehicles and material inducements overshadow public policy, accountability and genuine democratic competition.
\nHURIWA particularly condemns the apparent contradiction between the reported capacity to finance tens of thousands of campaign devices and the government’s repeated resort to borrowing to meet national obligations.
\nThe association asks whether the administration has sufficient resources for elaborate political mobilisation but must borrow to address the country’s pressing developmental needs.
\nHURIWA insists that no public official or political organisation should use taxpayers’ money to finance partisan campaigns. It demands a transparent investigation if credible evidence emerges that public funds, government facilities or state resources support the reported project.
\nThe association also turns its attention to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the electoral umpire of failing to demonstrate the urgency required to police campaign spending ahead of the 2027 elections.
\nHURIWA asks when INEC intends to publish its campaign expenditure monitoring framework, deploy its monitoring mechanisms and begin tracking the financial activities of political parties and candidates.
\nThe association says 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.
\nHURIWA further challenges the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to explain their apparent silence over reports of extravagant political spending and alleged voter inducement.
\nThe association demands that both agencies examine credible evidence concerning the sources of campaign funds, the procurement of expensive campaign materials and any possible diversion of public resources.
\nHURIWA warns that distributing expensive gifts or other benefits to influence voters could constitute electoral malpractice, depending on the circumstances. It therefore urges INEC and law enforcement agencies to investigate any credible evidence of vote buying or unlawful inducement.
\nThe association stresses that the 2027 presidential election must not become an auction in which the highest spender determines the political future of millions of Nigerians.
\nHURIWA says the reported production of 40,000 tablets raises questions that the APC and the Tinubu campaign organisation must answer publicly. Nigerians deserve to know whether the project is privately funded, how much it costs and whether its financing complies with electoral and financial regulations.
\nThe association demands immediate public disclosure and insists that political power must never become a licence to deploy public resources for partisan advantage.
\nNigeria is not a private estate, public funds are not campaign war chests, and INEC must not surrender its constitutional responsibility to powerful political interests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By George Mgbeleke The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) raises the alarm over reports that President Bola Tinubu\u2019s campaign machinery is producing 40,000 customised tablets in China for political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election. HURIWA in a statement by national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko,described the development as a disturbing indication […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19309"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19311,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19309\/revisions\/19311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}