INEC Funding: Senior Lawyer Proposes Amendment To Electoral Act

The acting director, Department of Legislative Support Services at the National Institute for Democratic and Legislative Studies (NILDS), Abuja, Prof. Abiodun Amuda-Kannike (SAN), has called for the amendment of the Electoral Law to restore a 12-month funding window for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before elections.

Amuda-Kannike made the proposal in a lecture titled, “Leveraging Technology for Electoral Credibility in Nigeria: A Critical Appraisal of the Electoral Act 2026”, which he delivered to mark the maiden Founders’ Day/Open House of the Abdulrazaq Abubakar Toyin University (AATU), Ganmo, Kwara State.

“The Act should be amended to the effect that the sums supporting appropriations for the conduct of general elections shall be released to the commission not later than 12 months before the date of the election. The 12-month window aligns with international best practice

“The International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) recommends that electoral management bodies receive funding at least 12 months before elections to allow for adequate time for technology procurement, testing and contingency planning,” he said.

Earlier, the proprietor of AATU, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Toyin, narrated how the former vice chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof AbdulRasheed Na’ Allah, influenced his decision to establish the institution.

He said his initial plan was to establish a standard hospital or secondary school on his large expanse of land located in the heart of Ganmon community for which he had already put structures in place.

He said Na’Allah upturned his decision during a visit to the site of the university

Toyin said his mission is for the school to become “a world class university like Harvard University..

He expressed delight that the university which took off with 600 students at inception is positively impacting on the community by providing jobs and meeting the demands of admission seekers.

The vice chancellor, Prof. Abdulrauf Ambali, hailed the proprietor for investing hugely in university education.

He said the institution had in the last one year introduced innovations, adding that the university is “digitally driven.”