By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday asked the National Assembly to approve a staggering N873.78 billion to conduct the 2027 general election, warning that credible polls come at a high cost and must be funded early to protect Nigeria’s democracy.
Presenting the commission’s proposed budget before the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, defended the figures amid intense scrutiny from lawmakers over funding gaps, electronic transmission readiness and allowances for ad hoc staff.
He said the proposal was submitted in line with the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates that election funds be appropriated at least 360 days before polling day to avert last-minute crises.
“If you want to predict the future, it is necessary to create it early. Preparation for the 2027 election has already started,” Amupitan told the lawmakers.
“The wisdom of the National Assembly in making provision 360 days before the election date is to ensure that we do not run into avoidable crises.”
A breakdown of the proposed N873,778,401,602.08 shows that Election Operations Cost accounts for N375.75 billion; Election Administrative Cost, N92.31 billion; Election Technology Cost, N209.21 billion; and Election Capital Cost, N154.90 billion.
A miscellaneous provision of N41.01 billion brings the total to N873.78 billion.
Amupitan explained that the capital component appeared high because several items not included in previous budgets were now captured under the 2027 election framework.
A significant portion of the budget is allocated to technology, underscoring INEC’s commitment to electronic result transmission, especially as the National Assembly works to harmonise amendments to the Electoral Act.
However, the INEC chairman admitted that fully deploying electronic transmission nationwide would require massive investment in independent infrastructure.
He said, “We do not even have a network of our own. Assuming we control the network system and are not dictated to by primary and secondary providers, INEC should be held 100 per cent responsible for any outcome. But the cost of establishing such infrastructure is enormous.”
He urged lawmakers to ensure adequate appropriation and free the commission from what he described as the restrictive “envelope system” imposed by the Ministry of Finance.
Amupitan said, “The envelope system is not good for the running of INEC if INEC must be truly independent.”
Amupitan appealed to the National Assembly to exercise its constitutional powers to adjust the proposal where necessary.
One of the most debated aspects of the presentation was INEC’s plan to significantly increase allowances for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and other ad hoc staff who serve as presiding officers and polling officials.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission proposes to pay each corps member and ad hoc staff N127,000 for election duties, covering five days of training and two days of polling.
The breakdown includes N50,000 for election duty, N5,000 for training allowance, and a feeding allowance of about N9,500, among other components.
With an estimated 450,000 corps members nationwide, the proposal amounts to roughly N32 billion.
Lawmakers acknowledged that election integrity begins at polling units and largely depends on the conduct of presiding officers.
Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, said, “The pyramids of elections are the polling units and the masters of the polling units are the presiding officers.”
He warned that poorly paid ad hoc staff could be susceptible to inducement, potentially compromising the credibility of the polls.
Amupitan agreed, noting that a substantial portion of election expenditure traditionally goes into honoraria for temporary staff.
“If they must perform their duties creditably and with integrity, we cannot lose our eyes to such demands,” he said.
Beyond personnel costs, the INEC chairman addressed questions on the procurement of ballot boxes and redesigned voting cubicles.
He disclosed that although Nigeria currently has 176,846 polling units, the commission plans to purchase about 130,000 new ballot boxes after an audit revealed that many of the existing ones remain serviceable.
On the redesigned cubicles, Amupitan said the proposal was informed by reports from local and international observers highlighting incidents of vote-buying.
“The cubicles we are using now are too small. If you expand them to accommodate the ballot box inside, voters will not need to step out to drop their ballots. That reduces the possibility of vote confirmation and vote buying,” he explained.
Lawmakers also pressed the commission on funding provisions for by-elections and off-cycle governorship polls scheduled for 2026, cautioning against shifting excessive capital expenditure to 2027 at the expense of imminent electoral activities.
Amupitan acknowledged the financial strain created by frequent by-elections, often triggered by the death or resignation of lawmakers, noting that the commission must always make contingency provisions even when it hopes such events do not occur.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, assured INEC of legislative backing but warned that scrutiny would intensify as the 2027 polls approach.
“INEC is now the main institution between now and next year. It is going to get tougher. We will continue to give you all necessary support legislatively, but Nigerians are watching,” Lalong said.
The joint committee also considered a motion urging full implementation of INEC’s first-line charge status to guarantee financial autonomy, a move seen as critical to strengthening the commission’s independence ahead of the high-stakes 2027 general election.
