The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday told the National Assembly that it would need N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections.
The commission also asked for N171bn to run its activities in the 2026 budget year.
The N873.78bn planned for the 2027 polls is far higher than the N313.4bn the Federal Government released for the 2023 general elections.
Nigeria is expected to hold general elections in 2027. Before then, Ekiti and Osun states will conduct governorship elections this year, alongside the Federal Capital Territory council election and some by-elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made this known in Abuja while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the estimated cost of the 2027 general elections to the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.
Amupitan explained that the N873.78bn is meant for the full conduct of the 2027 general elections, while the N171bn proposed for 2026 will cover routine operations, including by-elections and off-season polls.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria added that the proposed election budget does not include a new request from the National Youth Service Corps for higher allowances for corps members who serve as ad hoc staff during elections.
He said although the full details of each line item were not presented, the almost N1tn election budget was arranged under five key areas.
“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 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.”
On the 2026 budget, Amupitan said the Ministry of Finance gave the commission a budget envelope of N140bn, but added that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
He broke it down as N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overhead, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital projects.
Yakubu said the envelope budgeting system does not suit the commission’s work, stressing that INEC’s duties often demand urgent and flexible funding.
He also pointed out that the lack of a dedicated communication network remains a serious challenge. According to him, if INEC builds its own network, Nigerians will be in a better position to hold the commission responsible for any technical issues.
At the meeting, Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said outside bodies should not determine INEC’s budgeting method because of the sensitive nature of its assignment. He supported removing the envelope budgeting system.
He called on the National Assembly to back INEC’s financial proposal to prevent possible shortfalls.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, asked that INEC’s budget be placed on first-line charge as stated in the Constitution. He said the funds should be released fully and on time to allow proper preparation for the 2027 general elections.
The joint committee later approved a motion recommending that the commission’s yearly budget be released at once.
The committee also said it would look into the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to raise allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when they are engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Simon Lalong, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the commission to make sure it gets the needed support to conduct the 2027 general elections successfully.
Also, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, promised legislative backing but warned the commission not to make promises it may fail to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general elections, INEC assured Nigerians about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, giving the impression that results would be monitored in real time.
“IReV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
