INEC Accesses Multiple Budgets - N171bn Operational, N873.8bn Election Cost, N135.22bn Litigations
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, may be accessing multiple budgetary allocations from the federal government in the buildup to the 2027 General Elections.
The INEC presented a budget estimate of ₦171 billion to the National Assembly for the 2026 fiscal year.
The INEC also requested about ₦873.8 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, clarified that the ₦873.8 billion estimated for the 2027 general elections is separate from the Commission’s 2026 operational budget of N171 billion.
The 2026 budget proposal includes ₦109 billion for personnel costs, ₦18.7 billion for overhead expenses, ₦42.63 billion for election-related activities, and ₦1.4 billion for capital projects.
Subsequently, the Federal Government set aside N135.22 billion in the 2026 budget for court cases and other issues that may arise from the 2027 general elections.
It was indicated that the allocation falls under the Consolidated Revenue Fund charges.
It was further indicated that the provision, identified as “Electoral Adjudication and Post Election Provision,” was listed under the Service-Wide Votes, a pool of funds controlled centrally by the government to take care of obligations that are not assigned to any specific ministry or agency.
Meanwhile, election administration is the responsibility of the INEC.