Human rights lawyer and activist Deji Adeyanju has warned that any deduction from Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) funds for the purpose of financing President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election campaign would be illegal and unconstitutional.
Adeyanju, in a statement titled “Deductions of state allocations from FAAC for Tinubu’s re-election violate the constitution and are the greatest crime against Nigeria,” described the alleged move as a grave violation of public trust and the Nigerian Constitution.
According to him, “Any deduction of statutory allocations at source for political campaigns raises grave constitutional and criminal concerns.”
He argued that under Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, FAAC allocations belong to the states as federating units and are meant to serve the people rather than partisan political interests.
“Under Section 162 of the CFRN 1999 (as amended), FAAC allocations are public funds belonging to the states as federating units and held in trust for the people, not private resources to be deployed at the discretion of governors for partisan interests,” he stated.
Adeyanju further warned that any contribution involving billions of naira could also breach provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 regulating political donations.
“Beyond these constitutional issues, any contribution running into billions of naira may also violate the donation limits prescribed under the Electoral Act 2022, which places a cap on individual political contributions.
“Where public funds are allegedly diverted for campaign financing, such conduct could amount to criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of office, and economic sabotage against the affected states.” He said
The activist also raised concerns over what he described as a lack of transparency and public consent in the alleged deductions, calling on anti-graft agencies to immediately probe the matter.
“The absence of transparency or the consent of the people whose resources are allegedly involved is equally troubling. If these allegations are true, the relevant anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC, must immediately investigate, recover any diverted funds, and ensure that all persons involved are held accountable in accordance with the law,” he added.
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