The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has called on the Federal Government to immediately release the outstanding funds under its 2026 budget, saying timely financing is critical to the seamless execution of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the call while addressing a World Press Conference ahead of the elections on Tuesday.
“We expect the prompt release of the remaining budget to ensure seamless execution of the remaining activities,” Amupitan said.
He acknowledged that “the Federal Government has maintained its commitment to democratic governance through the timely release of statutory budgetary allocations to the Commission.”
According to him, the funds have enabled INEC to “meet international vendor obligations, finance the production of critical election technology, upgrade physical infrastructure, and sustain multi-stakeholder operational deployments nationwide.”
Meanwhile, in February, while defending its 2026 budget before the National Assembly, Amupitan said the Federal Ministry of Finance had provided a budget envelope of N140bn, while INEC’s total proposed expenditure for the year stood at N171bn.
The proposed N171bn comprised N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
INEC also told the National Assembly that it would require N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections.
The projected election budget included N379.75bn for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative expenses, N209.21bn for technology, N154.91bn for election capital expenditure and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses.
