INEC Seeks ₦873 Billion, Defends Budget Before National Assembly
By TOSAN OYAKHILOME-AKAHOMEN
₦873bn Proposal for 2027 Polls
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a total of ₦873.778 billion to conduct the 2027 general elections, citing rising operational, technological and logistical demands.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this while defending the commission’s 2026 budget proposal before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters. He explained that the election budget was submitted in compliance with the Electoral Act, which requires election-related appropriations to reach the legislature at least 360 days before the polls.
A breakdown shows ₦375 billion earmarked for operational costs, ₦92 billion for administrative expenses, ₦209 billion for election technology, ₦154 billion for capital expenditure and ₦41 billion for miscellaneous items.
The chairman clarified that the election proposal is separate from INEC’s ₦171 billion 2026 budget estimate, which covers personnel, overheads, by-elections and off-cycle polls.
Materials, Technology and Logistics
Under operational costs, ₦318 billion is allocated for producing election materials, including ₦37 billion for ballot papers and ₦23 billion for result sheets. Non-sensitive materials and management forms account for ₦32 billion combined, while ₦29 billion is proposed for voter revalidation under the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Administrative expenses include ₦500 million for a pre-election retreat and another ₦500 million for meetings with Resident Electoral Commissioners. INEC also budgeted ₦7 billion for storing sensitive materials at Central Bank of Nigeria facilities nationwide, ₦1.2 billion for servicing 500 vehicles and ₦390 million for recruitment.
On technology, ₦1.3 billion is proposed for ICT upgrades, including ₦162 million for improving the IReV portal and ₦1.2 billion for the Hybrid e-EC8A Result Management System. The commission also plans to spend ₦12 billion printing Permanent Voter Cards.
Capital projects include ₦18 billion each for ballot boxes and voting cubicles across 176,846 polling units, as well as ₦212 million for communication devices and solar lighting installations.
Lawmakers Raise Concerns
Lawmakers questioned several provisions. Moses Fayinka queried a ₦630 million line item for medical check-ups for political office holders. Amupitan said the template was prepared by the Ministry of Finance and covers remuneration-related benefits for commissioners, warning against altering it.
Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong questioned the purchase of new voting cubicles. The INEC chairman said larger cubicles are intended to curb vote-buying by enabling voters to mark and deposit ballots without stepping out. He noted that reports from the European Union and the United Kingdom observer missions commended INEC but flagged vote-buying concerns.
The National Youth Service Corps also requested an increase in election duty allowances to ₦127,000 for five days, covering training and feeding. Lawmakers said the final figure would be determined during budget approval.
Senators including Adams Oshiomhole and Simon Lalong assured collaboration to ensure adequate funding, while the joint committee recommended a one-off release of INEC’s allocation to support timely preparations for 2027.
