The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that it has yet to receive budgetary allocations for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.
The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Malam Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja. Mr Haruna was speaking at a cross-sectoral interactive session organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in partnership with Legis360.
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The “fireside chat”, which brought together political parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and INEC officials, focused on the outcome of the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election and the commission’s preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Mr Haruna noted that although the commission is still awaiting the release of funds, preparations for the 2027 elections are ongoing. INEC had proposed a budget of ₦873.78 billion for the 2027 general elections, with substantial allocations dedicated to election operations, technology, and capital expenditure.
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The national commissioner explained that the delay remains within the legal timeframe provided by the Electoral Act 2026, which mandates that election funds due to the commission for any general election must be released “not later than six months before the next general election.”
He further stated that the commission is already making arrangements to procure new election materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other machines that were damaged, lost, or not recovered during previous election cycles.
“Our Director of ICT has just returned from China regarding procurement because not all the BVAS devices used during the last general elections were recovered. Orders need to be placed, and these logistics take time,” he said.
Mr Haruna also disclosed that the commission plans to conduct mock presidential election exercises to test-run its technology deployment. This, according to him, is part of efforts to avoid a repeat of the technical glitches that affected the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 presidential election.
Responding to concerns about the high cost of conducting elections in Nigeria, Mr Haruna advised citizens to look beyond the total figure and consider the realities of election administration, noting that the cost of elections in Nigeria remains relatively low compared with other nations.
“This ₦800 billion plus sounds humongous, but when you calculate the average cost per voter, it is about six dollars, which is reasonable for a country such as Nigeria,” he said. “People forget that virtually everything we use is imported. The BVAS devices and many other election materials are imported. Exchange rate fluctuations also affect these costs.”
On the issue of conflicting court judgments and orders, Mr Haruna described the trend as a major challenge to the commission’s operations. He cited how last-minute court orders, received between 24 and 48 hours before the Ekiti governorship election, disrupted administrative workflows and the production of election result sheets.
“When a court gives a last-minute injunction to include parties like the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), we are forced to reconfigure the software and update physical materials instantly. This leaves very little room to test the systems extensively, though we still manage to achieve substantial compliance with the rules,” Mr Haruna explained.
He confirmed that the commission is taking steps to engage with the relevant judicial authorities on the matter, noting that a similar approach was adopted by the commission’s e previous leadership ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Addressing recent concerns over a viral report regarding a data breach, the national commissioner assured Nigerians that INEC maintains strict data protection and internal accountability protocols. He disclosed that an electoral officer who intentionally leaked sensitive data as part of a personal vendetta against a political actor has been suspended. The matter has been reported to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), while the commission awaits the Police and State Security Services (SSS) to finalise criminal investigations.
Reviewing the Ekiti governorship election, Mr Haruna described INEC’s field logistics and technology performance as highly successful, noting that the BVAS machines performed optimally, achieving a 98 per cent accreditation n rate. He stated that while there were minor technical hitches—particularly with the biometric capture of elderly voters due to ageing physical features—INEC’s technical support teams resolved them promptly.
He lamented, however, that vote-buying remains a worrisome trend, noting that voters were observed waiting in line for financial inducements from politicians before casting their ballots.
Speaking in an interview with a journalist, the Executive Director of PAACA, Ezenwa Nwagwu, called on the Federal Government and key political stakeholders to ensure the early release of funds to INEC. Mr Nwagwu warned that delaying election funds forces a dangerous, emergency “fire brigade” approach to national planning.
“Whenever you create an emergenon, corruption is very close behind. When things are not done when they should be done, people resort to bypassing rules. That is a situation politicians like to exploit to diminish the credibility of the process,” Mr Nwagwu said.
He explained that early financial disbursements are critical because INEC faces tight international procurement timelines. He noted that the commission urgently needs to replace essential hardware, including BVAS devices damaged by flooding in Edo during previous election cycles.
Mr Nwagwu urged CSOs and the public to keep the spotlight on political actors who orchestrate systemic bottlenecks, rather than blaming the electoral umpire alone for logistical shortcomings.
“Everybody should be interested in creating an enabling environment for INEC to discharge its responsibility effectively. Once you short-circuit that ability by arm-twisting them in terms of resources, we hold INEC to the fire whenever there is a shortfall, but we do not go near the politicians who stage-managed the challenges,” he said.
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Regarding conflicting court judgments, Mr Nwagwu argued that the issue could be addressed by all stakeholders, including citizens, rather than just the judiciary. He contended that conflicting orders would not arise if citizens desisted from taking frivolous matters to court, knowing that some are unnecessary.
“We can emulate the American system that resolves certain things administratively without going to court. But here, everything goes to court, even up to the Supreme Court,” he said.
Mr Nwagwu noted that the interactive sessions aim to review the aftermath of the Ekiti election to identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement ahead of 2027. Other stakeholders at the meeting called on INEC to institutionalise long-term training modules for ad hoc staff, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
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