The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a total budget of N873.78 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, with major allocations earmarked for election operations, technology, and capital expenditure.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, presented the proposal on Thursday before the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly. The session was chaired by Senator Simon Bako Lalong and House counterpart, Hon. Adebayo Balogun.
Amupitan said preparations for the 2027 elections had commenced in compliance with statutory provisions requiring election funding to be appropriated at least 360 days before the scheduled date.
He stressed that early budget approval would ensure adequate planning and seamless execution of the nationwide polls.
Budget Breakdown
INEC divided the proposed budget into four major components:
Election Operations: N375.75 billion
Election Administrative Costs: N92.31 billion
Election Technology Costs: N209.21 billion
Election Capital Costs: N154.90 billion
The four components total N832.17 billion, while an additional N41.61 billion has been allocated for miscellaneous expenses, bringing the overall proposal to N873.78 billion.
The INEC chairman noted that the capital component is significantly higher than in previous election budgets, explaining that several capital items not adequately captured in earlier appropriations have now been consolidated into the 2027 proposal.
He also provided breakdown codes for each category:
Election operations (Codes 230101–230601)
Administrative costs (Codes 230703–230812)
Technology costs (Codes 230707–230811)
Capital costs (Codes 230198–320201)
Miscellaneous expenses (Code 230725)
According to Amupitan, detailed explanations of the proposed expenditures, including specific activities and cost items, are contained in the submitted document to the committee.
The proposal is now before the National Assembly for consideration and approval.
