The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to receive the full budget proposed for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, with five months to the polls.

The Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, disclosed this in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja.

When asked if the commission had accessed the proposed budget of N873.78 billion for the 2027 elections five months to the polls, Eta-Messi said only part of the money had been released so far.

“The Hon. Chairman had earlier stated that 60% of the funds for the 2027 General Election had been received by the commission. We are yet to receive the outstanding,” she said.

Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 provides that “The election funds due to the Commission for any general election shall be released to the commission not later than 6 months before the next general election.”

On the proposal by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan that funding for the commission should be drawn directly from the Federation Account, Eta-Messi said discussions are still ongoing.

“Engagements are still in process with regard to drawing from the Federation Account,” she stated.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, also confirmed that the commission had received part of the 2027 election budget.

Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for Saturday, 16th January 2027, while Governorship and State Assembly elections will hold on 6th February 2027.

INEC’s budget for 2027 is N873.78bn

The electoral body had proposed a total budget of N873.78 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, with substantial allocations meant for election operations, technology and capital expenditure.

Amupitan, while making   a presentation before the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly on Thursday, February 12th, 2026, noted that the budget was prepared in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.

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He said the proposed budget was carefully structured under four major heads.

According to him, Election Operations Cost accounts for N375.75 billion, Election Administrative Cost would get N92.31 billion, Election Technology Cost gets N209.21 billion, and Election Capital Cost has N154.90 billion budgeted for it.

In addition, a miscellaneous provision of N41.01 billion brings the grand total to N873,778,401,602.08.

He clarified that the N873.778 billion required for the 2027 polls is separate from the Commission’s 2026 budget proposal, in which INEC plans to spend N171 billion on its operations, including the conduct of by-elections and off-cycle elections.

According to Prof. Amupitan, the projected election budget does not include a fresh proposal by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) seeking an increase in allowances for Corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.   

Need  for reforms and urgent funding

In a tweet on the commission’s account on 28 July, 2026, the INEC Chairman called for constitutional and electoral reforms that would guarantee genuine financial autonomy for the electoral body.

He pointed out that the current first-line charge arrangement had not fully insulated the commission from the limitations of the annual appropriation process while delivering the keynote address, “Strengthening Electoral Institutions: Pathways to Free, Fair and Peaceful Elections in 2027,” at the public presentation of Shadows: Protest Essays on Africa’s Most Consequential Country (1999–2023), a two-volume work written by the Managing Director of THISDAY Newspapers, Mr. Eniola Bello.

According to him, although Section 81(3) of the 1999 Constitution places INEC on first-line charge, the commission still operates within the conventional budgetary envelope system, making it difficult to achieve the level of operational efficiency expected of an independent electoral management body.

He, therefore, proposed that funding for the commission should be drawn directly from the Federation Account to ensure seamless operations and enable INEC to discharge its constitutional responsibilities—including voter registration, regulation of political parties and the conduct of elections—without unnecessary administrative constraints.

On 14 July, 2026, Amupitan also urged the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to approve increased and sustained funding for the commission ahead of the 2027 general elections during a courtesy visit to the RMAFC Chairman, Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu, in Abuja.

He noted that INEC’s constitutional duties include conducting elections for President, Vice President, National Assembly, Governors, State Houses of Assembly and FCT Area Councils, as well as continuous voter registration and registration of political parties.

The INEC boss said the cost of conducting a single governorship election now surpasses the combined cost of presidential and National Assembly elections.    He added that the commission also shoulders expenses for pre-election and post-election litigations, including election petitions arising from party primaries.

He said INEC currently runs offices in all 36 states, the FCT and all 774 local government areas, with the Federal Government bearing the full cost of maintaining the nationwide structure.

Prof. Amupitan also called for improved welfare packages for INEC staff.

He said competitive remuneration was critical to retaining skilled personnel and sustaining efficiency, noting that the commission had lost some experienced staff to migration due to poor pay.

He said better welfare would boost morale and strengthen public trust in election outcomes.

The Chairman further requested increased funding for infrastructure, electoral technology and personnel training, saying such investment was vital to preserving institutional knowledge within the commission.