The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has yet to receive budgetary allocations for the conduct of the 2027 general elections but has already commenced preparations to ensure a successful electoral process.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this during a cross-sectoral interactive session in Abuja involving political parties, civil society organisations and election officials.
Haruna said the commission’s proposed budget for the 2027 general elections stands at N873.78 billion, covering election operations, technology deployment and capital expenditure. He noted that although the funds have not been released, the situation remains within the legal timeline, as the Electoral Act 2026 requires election funds to be released no later than six months before a general election.
He explained that INEC has already begun planning for the procurement of new election materials, including replacement Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices lost, damaged or not recovered after previous elections.
According to him, the commission is also preparing to conduct mock presidential election exercises to test its technology and prevent a repeat of the technical issues that affected the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 presidential election.
On the cost of elections, Haruna defended the proposed budget, arguing that while the amount appears high, the average cost per voter is approximately six dollars, which compares favourably with international standards.
He attributed the rising cost of elections to Nigeria’s dependence on imported election materials, including BVAS devices, as well as fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
Haruna also identified conflicting court orders as a major operational challenge for the commission, citing last-minute injunctions issued shortly before the recent Ekiti governorship election that forced INEC to reconfigure its software and update election materials within a limited timeframe.
He said the commission is engaging relevant judicial authorities to address the issue and reduce disruptions to election preparations.
Addressing concerns over a reported data breach, Haruna assured Nigerians that INEC maintains strict data protection measures. He disclosed that an electoral officer accused of leaking sensitive information had been suspended, while the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, the Police and the Department of State Services are investigating the matter.
Reviewing the Ekiti governorship election, Haruna described the commission’s logistics and technology deployment as largely successful, revealing that BVAS recorded a 98 per cent accreditation success rate. He acknowledged minor technical challenges involving biometric capture for some elderly voters but said the issues were promptly resolved by technical support teams.
He, however, expressed concern over the growing incidence of vote buying, saying election observers witnessed voters openly waiting to receive financial inducements before casting their ballots.
Also speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged the Federal Government to release election funds to INEC early to avoid last-minute procurement and administrative bottlenecks.
He warned that delayed funding encourages emergency spending, weakens due process and creates opportunities for corruption, adding that timely financial support is essential because of the lengthy international procurement process required for critical election equipment.
Nwagwu also urged the public to hold political actors accountable for actions that undermine electoral preparations rather than placing the blame solely on INEC whenever logistical challenges arise.
He further argued that reducing unnecessary litigation would help address the problem of conflicting court judgments, noting that many electoral disputes could be resolved administratively without prolonged court proceedings.
Participants at the meeting also called on INEC to institutionalise long-term training programmes for ad hoc election personnel, particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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