Osun Ghost Worker Audit Claims Renew Call for Transparent Party Funding

An audit reportedly commissioned by the Osun State Government after Governor Ademola Adeleke took office identified 8,452 alleged ghost workers and 5,831 alleged ghost pensioners as of May 2023. The report claimed that the irregularities cost the state about ₦13.7 billion annually, including cases in which multiple salary payments allegedly went into one account linked to a single BVN. The report raises a wider question about how political parties fund campaigns. Inflated contracts, ghost workers and similar schemes may thrive where parties lack transparent, lawful sources of funding. Political parties should be required to maintain verifiable registers of dues-paying members and disclose the funds in their accounts before INEC registers or renews their registration. Only financial members should be allowed to vote or contest in party primaries. Professional associations, unions and other organised bodies could also form parties if they meet these financial-accountability requirements. Other proposals include part-time legislatures, stronger legislative oversight and broader inclusion of parties in government based on their share of assembly seats. Without clear rules for sustainable party funding, it may remain difficult to stop politicians from diverting public resources into election campaigns. Electoral reform should make party financing transparent, member-driven and accountable.

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