We are yet to receive budgeted funds for 2027 General Elections – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is yet to receive budgetary allocations for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during a cross-sectoral interactive session organised by Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa in partnership with Legis360.

Haruna said although the commission is still awaiting the release of funds, preparations for the 2027 general elections are already underway.

INEC had proposed a budget of ₦873.78 billion for the elections, covering election operations, technology and capital expenditure.

He explained that the delay remains within the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires election funds to be released to the commission not later than six months before the general election.

Haruna disclosed that INEC has already begun preparations for the procurement of new election materials, including replacement of damaged, lost and unrecovered Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices.

“Our Director of ICT 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 things take time,” he said.

He added that the commission also plans to conduct mock presidential election exercises to test its technology and avoid a repeat of the technical glitches experienced on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 presidential election.

On the cost of elections, Haruna argued that Nigeria’s election expenses remain relatively moderate when measured per voter.

“This N800 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.

Haruna also identified conflicting court orders as a major challenge, saying last-minute rulings requiring the inclusion of political parties disrupted preparations for the recent Ekiti governorship election.

He further disclosed that an electoral officer accused of leaking sensitive electoral data had been suspended, while the matter has been referred to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, the police and the Department of State Services for investigation.

Reviewing the Ekiti governorship election, Haruna said the BVAS recorded about 98 per cent successful voter accreditation, although he expressed concern over persistent vote-buying by politicians.

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of PAACA, Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged the Federal Government to release election funds to INEC early to avoid last-minute procurement and administrative challenges.

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