A fresh campaign-finance controversy has hit the 2027 Ogun State governorship race after politician Adekunle Shomorin petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over 119 vehicles publicly acknowledged as donations to the campaign of All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
In the petition dated September 30, 2026, Shomorin urged the anti-graft agency to investigate the identities of the donors, ownership and acquisition of the vehicles, their actual market value and the sources of funds used to procure them.
He also asked the commission to determine whether the donations complied with relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The petition followed Adeola’s September 28 statement in which he publicly thanked 22 individuals, companies and groups for providing vehicles to support his campaign and grassroots mobilisation across Ogun State.
According to the published list, businessman Akintunde Armstrong was credited with the largest single contribution of 26 buses, while Alhaji IBD Dende was listed as having provided seven buses and an ambulance.
Zacobass Oil & Gas, Stonebridge Engineering Services Limited, Elele Ijebu, Amazon Luxury Apartments, Mr Osho and Polanco were each listed as contributors of 10 buses.
N728m question over 26 buses
A major focus of Shomorin’s petition is the 26 buses attributed to Armstrong.
Using an estimated value of N28 million per vehicle, the petitioner calculated that the 26 buses could be worth approximately N728 million.
Shomorin argued that if the vehicles were indeed campaign donations at that value, the contribution could exceed the statutory limit applicable to individual or entity donations.
The Electoral Act 2026 places a N500 million ceiling on donations by an individual or other entity to a candidate, according to reports citing Section 92(8) of the law. The Act separately provides a N3 billion expenditure limit for a governorship candidate.
However, the N728 million figure is the petitioner’s estimate and has not been established as the actual market or acquisition value of the vehicles.
The EFCC would therefore have to determine the vehicles’ actual value, ownership structure, acquisition costs and how the transactions should legally be treated under the electoral framework.
EFCC asked to trace donors, ownership
Shomorin also questioned the identities of some contributors appearing on Adeola’s published list.
Among the names cited are “Citiside Brother,” “Sanusi Friend,” “Olafem Citi Friend,” “Onaolapo Brother,” “OJ,” “Polanco,” “Elele Ijebu” and “Nafiu Abimbola & Friend.”
The petitioner wants the EFCC to establish the identities and addresses of contributors whose names, according to him, do not sufficiently identify them.
He is further asking the commission to determine the beneficial ownership of the vehicles and establish who actually financed their purchase.
The petition also calls for an examination of whether the vehicles were acquired from the donors’ personal or corporate resources or whether other individuals, companies or organisations provided funding.
119 vehicles potentially worth N3.33bn?
Shomorin also raised questions about the aggregate value of the vehicles.
Using the same N28 million-per-vehicle benchmark, he estimated that 119 vehicles could have a combined value of approximately N3.33 billion.
That figure is significant because the Electoral Act 2026 separately places a N3 billion ceiling on election expenditure by a governorship candidate.
The two provisions, however, are not automatically interchangeable.
The value of donated vehicles does not by itself establish that a candidate breached either the donation limit or the overall campaign expenditure ceiling. Authorities would need to establish how the vehicles were acquired, whether they constitute campaign contributions or expenditure under the law, how they were accounted for and what their actual value was.
Petition seeks probe of campaign funding
Shomorin has consequently urged the EFCC to go beyond estimates and investigate the transactions surrounding the vehicles.
He wants the commission to establish:
- who donated and financed the vehicles;
- who legally owns them;
- when and how they were acquired;
- their actual commercial value;
- the source of funds used for their acquisition;
- whether the vehicles constitute campaign contributions or expenditure; and
- whether the transactions complied with the Electoral Act 2026 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
Adeola’s September 28 disclosure described the vehicles as support from individuals, business associates and organisations for campaign activities and grassroots mobilisation.
The controversy surrounding the donations now places the campaign fleet under the scrutiny sought by the petitioner, with the central questions being the true value, ownership, funding sources and legal treatment of the vehicles.
The petition itself does not establish that Adeola or any of the listed donors violated the law. Those issues would depend on findings by the appropriate authorities following any investigation.
