The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it has not yet received any budgetary allocation for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, although preparations for the polls are already underway.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Malam Mohammed Haruna, made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja during a cross-sectoral interactive session organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in collaboration with Legis360.
The engagement, described as a “fireside chat,” brought together representatives of political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), and INEC officials to review the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election and discuss preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Haruna explained that although the commission is still waiting for the release of election funds, it remains within the timeframe stipulated by the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires that election funds be released not later than six months before a general election.
He noted that the commission had proposed a budget of N873.78 billion for the 2027 elections, with significant provisions for election operations, technology deployment and capital projects.
According to him, INEC has already begun making arrangements for the replacement of election equipment, including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and other machines that were damaged, lost or not recovered after previous elections.
“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,” Haruna said.
He also revealed that the commission intends to organise mock presidential election exercises to test its technology infrastructure before the general elections.
The exercise, he explained, is designed to prevent a recurrence of the technical challenges experienced with the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 presidential election.
Addressing concerns over the projected election budget, Haruna argued that the overall cost should be viewed in the context of the country’s size and operational realities.
“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.
“People forget that virtually everything we use is imported. The BVAS devices and a lot of other election materials are imported. Exchange rate fluctuations also affect these costs,” he said.
Haruna also identified conflicting court orders as a recurring challenge affecting the commission’s preparations.
He recalled that during the Ekiti governorship election, INEC received court directives within 24 to 48 hours before the poll, compelling the inclusion of additional political parties, thereby disrupting election preparations.
“When a court gives a last-minute injunction to include parties like the National 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,” he stated.
The commissioner disclosed that INEC plans to engage judicial authorities on the issue, similar to efforts initiated by the commission before the 2023 general elections.
On allegations of a recent data breach involving voter information, Haruna assured Nigerians that the commission maintains strict internal controls to safeguard personal data.
He disclosed that an electoral officer accused of deliberately leaking confidential voter information had already been suspended.
According to him, the incident has been reported to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), while investigations by the police and the Department of State Services (DSS) are ongoing.
Reviewing the Ekiti governorship election, Haruna described the deployment of technology and logistics as largely successful, stating that BVAS recorded a 98 per cent successful voter accreditation rate.
He noted that while some elderly voters experienced biometric verification challenges due to age-related changes in physical features, INEC’s technical teams promptly resolved the issues.
However, he expressed concern over the persistence of vote buying during elections, saying some voters openly waited to receive financial inducements before casting their ballots.
Speaking after the event, PAACA Executive Director, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged the Federal Government to release election funds early to enable adequate planning.
He warned that delays often force INEC into emergency procurement processes that create opportunities for corruption.
“Whenever you create an emergency situation, 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,” Nwagwu said.
He added that timely funding was particularly important because INEC relies heavily on imported election technology, including BVAS devices that require long procurement timelines.
Nwagwu also urged Nigerians to hold political leaders accountable whenever delays in election funding undermine the electoral process instead of directing criticism solely at INEC.
“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 don’t go near the politicians who stage-managed the challenges,” he said.
He further argued that reducing unnecessary litigation could help minimise conflicting court judgments that often disrupt election planning.
Other participants at the meeting called on INEC to establish more structured and continuous training programmes for ad hoc staff, especially members of the National Youth Service Corps, ahead of the 2027 elections.
