INEC Seeks N873.78bn For 2027 Elections, N171bn To Fund 2026 Operations

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed over N1 trillion budget for the 2027 general elections and its operations in 2026.

Its  chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made this known when he presented the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.

In the breakdown, the commission proposed N873.778 billion budget for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan clarified that the N873.778 billion proposed for the 2027 general election is separate from the commission’s 2026 budget proposal of  N171 billion.

According to him, the projected election budget does not include a fresh proposal by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), seeking an increase in allowances for Corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.

The INEC chairman explained that the election budget is structured across five major components of: N379.748 billion for operational costs; N92.317 billion for administrative costs; N209.206 billion for technological costs; N154.905 billion for election capital costs; and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous expenses.

Amupitan noted that the budget 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.

Presenting the 2026 fiscal year, he told lawmakers that the Ministry of Finance provided the commission with a budget envelope of N140 billion but INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171 billion.

The breakdown includes N109 billion for personnel costs; N18.7 billion for overheads; N42.63 billion for election-related activities; and N1.4 billion for capital expenditure.

Amupitan argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

A member of the committee, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC due to the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.

The former Edo state governor, insisted that the envelope system be set aside for the commission while Parliament should work with INEC’s actual requirements to avoid future complaints of underfunding.

Another member of the panel, Hon. Billy Osawaru(APC, Edo) called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable proper planning and execution of its responsibilities.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Lalong, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with INEC to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

On his part, chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Bayo Balogun assured INEC of legislative backing but cautioned the commission against making promises it may not be able to keep.

Balogun recalled how during the last general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.

“Meanwhile, the IREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.

The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

It also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32 billion to increase allowances for Corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.