INEC Proposes N873.8bn for 2027 General Election

By Oluwakemi Kindness

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed N873.78 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday while defending the Commission’s 2026 budget before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.

He clarified that the nearly N1 trillion election budget is separate from the Commission’s proposed N171 billion spending for 2026, which covers by-elections and off-cycle polls.

According to him, the N873.78bn estimate excludes a fresh request by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which is seeking N32 billion to increase allowances for Corps members engaged as election ad-hoc staff.

Prof. Amupitan said the projected cost for the 2027 polls is broken into five components:
• N379.75bn for operational costs
• N92.32bn for administrative expenses
• N209.21bn for technology
• N154.91bn for election capital costs
• N42.61bn for contingencies and miscellaneous items

He explained that the proposal aligns with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which requires INEC to prepare its election budget at least one year before general elections.

On the 2026 fiscal year, the chairman said the Ministry of Finance allocated a budget envelope of N140bn, but INEC is proposing N171bn to meet its operational needs.

The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election activities, and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.

He warned that the envelope budgeting system is unsuitable for the Commission’s work, noting that INEC requires flexible and responsive funding. He also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major infrastructure gap.

Lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives echoed these concerns.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole argued that external agencies should not dictate INEC’s budgeting framework, while Billy Osawaru urged that the Commission be placed on first-line charge with full, timely releases.

The Joint Committee adopted a motion recommending the one-time release of INEC’s annual budget and said it would review the NYSC’s proposed increase in Corps members’ election allowances to N125,000.

Senators Simon Lalong and Bayo Balogun, chairmen of the Senate and House Committees on Electoral Matters, respectively, pledged legislative support but cautioned INEC against making commitments—such as real-time result uploads—that are not backed by law or technical capacity.