- The Independent National Electoral Commission has proposed N873.78 billion to conduct the 2027 general elections
- The Commission is also seeking N171 billion for its 2026 operational expenses
- The National Assembly pledges support but also cautions the Commission against unrealistic promises
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a total of N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, while also seeking N171bn to fund its activities in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday, February 12, while presenting the Commission’s 2026 budget proposal and projected cost for the 2027 elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
Amupitan explained that the N873.78bn would cover the full conduct of the 2027 nationwide polls. He added that N171bn is being requested to support routine operations in 2026, including bye-elections and off-cycle governorship elections.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria clarified that the proposed election budget does not factor in a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which is seeking increased allowances for corps members who serve as ad-hoc staff during elections.
Although he did not present an exhaustive breakdown of all line items, Amupitan stated that the nearly N1tn election budget is divided into five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
He further noted that the proposal was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan revealed that the Ministry of Finance had issued a budget envelope of N140bn. However, he stressed that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
According to him, the 2026 proposal comprises N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
Amupitan argued that the envelope budgeting system is ill-suited to the Commission’s responsibilities, pointing out that INEC’s work often demands urgent and flexible funding arrangements.
He also identified the absence of a dedicated communications network as a critical operational constraint. He said that if INEC develops its own infrastructure, Nigerians would be better placed to hold the Commission accountable for any technical failures.
Speaking during the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) maintained that external bodies should not impose budgeting models on INEC, considering the sensitive nature of its constitutional mandate. He recommended that the envelope budgeting approach be discontinued.
Oshiomhole urged lawmakers to align with INEC’s financial proposal to prevent potential underfunding ahead of the 2027 elections.
Similarly, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, advocated placing INEC’s budget on first-line charge as stipulated in the Constitution. He called for the full and timely release of funds to enable early planning for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee subsequently approved a motion recommending a one-time release of the Commission’s annual allocation.
The committee also indicated that it would review the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to raise allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured the Commission of the National Assembly’s cooperation, pledging that lawmakers would provide the necessary backing to ensure the smooth conduct of the 2027 general elections.
In the same vein, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, promised legislative support but cautioned the Commission against making commitments it may not be able to fulfil.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC gave firm assurances regarding the uploading of results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating expectations of real-time monitoring.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed for the 2027 general election represents a sharp increase compared to the N313.4bn released by the Federal Government for the 2023 general election.