INEC Proposes ₦873.78 Billion Budget for 2027 General Elections

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has submitted a proposed budget of ₦873.78 billion to conduct the 2027 general elections. The commission also requested ₦171 billion for its 2026 operations, including bye-elections and off-season polls.

INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan presented these figures to the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja. The proposals comply with the Electoral Act 2022, which requires election budgets to be prepared at least one year in advance.

2027 Election Budget Breakdown (₦873.78 billion total)

Operational costs- N379.75 Billion 

Administrative costs - N92.32 Billion 

Technological costs - N209.21 Billion 

Election capital costs - N154.91 Billion 

Miscellaneous expenses - N42.61 Billion            

This represents a significant increase from the ₦313.4 billion released for the 2023 general elections.

2026 Operations Budget Proposal (₦171 billion requested)

Personnel costs - N109 Billion 

Overheads - N18.7 Billion 

Election-related activities - N42.63 Billion 

Capital expenditure - N1.4 Billion 

The Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of only ₦140 billion, which INEC says is insufficient due to the need for urgent and flexible funding.