The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a total of N873 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, setting the stage for intense legislative scrutiny as lawmakers interrogated key components of the commission’s 2026 budget proposal.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed the figure on Thursday while defending the commission’s budget before the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters. He explained that the submission was in compliance with the Electoral Act, which requires election-related appropriations to be presented at least 360 days before a general election.
According to Amupitan, the proposed election budget allocates N375 billion for election operations, N92 billion for administrative expenses, N209 billion for election technology, N154 billion for capital expenditure, and N41 billion for miscellaneous costs.
He further revealed that INEC’s total budget proposal for 2026 stands at N171 trillion, covering the commission’s routine operations, electoral logistics, and preparatory activities ahead of the 2027 polls.
The budget defence, however, was not without controversy. Lawmakers raised concerns over several expenditure lines, including a N630 million provision for annual medical check-ups for political office holders.
Moses Fayinka, the lawmaker representing Mushin II Federal Constituency of Lagos State, questioned the necessity and justification for the allocation, especially at a time of mounting fiscal pressures and public scrutiny over government spending.
Responding, Amupitan clarified that the provision was part of a standard budget template prepared by the Federal Ministry of Finance. He explained that the item relates to remuneration-linked medical benefits for the INEC chairman, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and National Commissioners.
He warned that any alteration of the template could disrupt the commission’s access to funding from the Federation Account.
“The templates you have before you are provided by the Ministry of Finance. If you change the template, it could become a problem and may affect funding,” Amupitan told lawmakers.
Another contentious issue was INEC’s plan to procure new voting cubicles. Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong, representing Cross River South, questioned why the commission needed additional cubicles when existing ones had been used in previous elections.
In response, Amupitan said the proposed cubicles would be larger and redesigned to address one of Nigeria’s most persistent electoral challenges — vote-buying.
He said extensive stakeholder engagements, as well as reports from international observers such as the European Union and the United Kingdom, had commended INEC’s conduct of recent elections while consistently highlighting vote-buying as a major weakness.
“One of the major concerns raised in observer reports, including during the Anambra election, is vote-buying,” Amupitan said. “INEC went the extra mile to ensure credibility, but no election is perfect. We must continue to improve.”
According to him, stakeholders recommended expanding the size of voting cubicles so that voters could mark and immediately deposit their ballots without stepping out, thereby eliminating opportunities to display ballots as proof of compliance with inducement arrangements.
“The cubicles we currently use are too small. The new design will allow voters to vote and drop their ballots immediately. A situation where someone votes and comes out to show the ballot will no longer arise,” he explained.
Amupitan noted that while INEC received high commendations for transparency and logistics in recent elections, observer missions repeatedly stressed the need for structural changes to curb electoral malpractice.
He said the commission had taken these recommendations seriously, emphasising that reforms were guided not only by internal assessments but also by feedback from political parties, civil society organisations, and international partners.
Attention also turned to the welfare of election personnel, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who are routinely deployed as ad hoc staff during elections.
Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, disclosed that the NYSC had formally requested an increase in allowances paid to corps members assigned to election duty.
Balogun, who represents Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency of Lagos State, said the proposal seeks N127,000 per corps member for five days, covering training, feeding, and field deployment.
The request sparked deliberations among lawmakers, many of whom acknowledged the growing risks and demands faced by corps members during elections, including long hours, exposure to insecurity, and logistical challenges.
However, committee members resolved that the final figure to be appropriated would be determined during the broader budget harmonisation and approval process.
As preparations for the 2027 general elections gather momentum, INEC’s budget defence underscored the delicate balance between ensuring credible elections and managing rising costs in a constrained fiscal environment.
While lawmakers acknowledged the scale and complexity of conducting nationwide elections in Africa’s most populous country, they signalled that every expenditure line would be subjected to rigorous scrutiny before approval.
The budget process is expected to continue in the coming weeks, with further engagements between INEC and the National Assembly as Nigeria inches closer to another critical electoral cycle.
INEC Seeks N873bn for 2027 Elections, Defends Budget Amid Lawmakers’ Scrutiny
