INEC Proposes N873.78bn Budget for 2027 General Elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a budget of N873.78 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, presented the proposal on Thursday before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly. He disclosed that preparations for the 2027 polls have already commenced, noting that the law requires election funds to be approved at least 360 days before the elections.

According to him, early approval of the budget will enable the commission to plan effectively and ensure the smooth conduct of the elections nationwide.

“Early appropriation is necessary to guarantee adequate planning and seamless execution of the elections,” he told lawmakers.

A breakdown of the proposal shows that election operations account for the largest share, with N375.75 billion allocated to activities directly related to the conduct of voting. Administrative costs are projected at N92.31 billion, while N209.21 billion is earmarked for election technology. The chairman explained that the commission intends to continue relying heavily on technology-driven processes for the 2027 polls.

INEC also proposed N154.90 billion for capital expenditure, bringing the total for the four main components to N832.17 billion.

In addition, N41.61 billion has been set aside for other related expenses, raising the total proposed budget to N873.78 billion.

Prof. Amupitan noted that the capital allocation in the 2027 proposal is higher than in previous election budgets, explaining that several capital items not fully captured in earlier budgets have now been consolidated into the new proposal.

He further provided budget codes for each category, stating that election operations fall under codes 230101 to 230601, administrative costs under 230703 to 230812, technology costs under 230707 to 230811, capital costs under 230198 to 320201, and miscellaneous expenses under code 230725.

The INEC chairman added that full details of the proposed expenditure, including specific activities and cost items, are contained in the document submitted to the National Assembly.