INEC Highlights Importance Of Funding To 2027 Elections Success

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said that the provision of adequate funding is critical to ensuring the security and logistics required for successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Prof. Amupitan stated this on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, while delivering a goodwill message at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, themed: “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”

The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners Dr. Ken Nnamdi Ukeagu and Rear Admiral Jamila Abubakar Malaga (Retd.); the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Imo State, Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziakor, Esq.; and the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the Chairman, Mr. Adedayo Oketola.

Prof. Amupitan said although the Commission’s funding was constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the scale of its responsibilities required sustained financial support to enable it conduct elections effectively.

He explained that INEC was responsible not only for presidential and National Assembly elections, but also for governorship and state House of Assembly elections, voter registration and the registration of political parties.

According to him, the commission also has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration, making security an integral part of the electoral process.

He said: “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints. The system does make allocations of what is available and what is affordable at a particular time for the expenses and appropriation of the agencies, including the police and also including INEC.”

Prof. Amupitan stressed that voter registration remained the foundation of credible elections, saying an inaccurate or outdated voters’ register could undermine the inclusiveness of the electoral process.

He argued that because INEC conducts elections affecting the three tiers of government, election expenditure, including security-related costs, should be approached as a collective national responsibility.

The chairman said adequate funding was particularly important for the deployment of personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.

According to him, even where security agencies succeed in maintaining peace, inadequate logistics could still undermine the conduct of an election.

Prof. Amupitan said INEC had made both security and logistics priorities under his leadership, adding that the commission was working with government and security agencies to ensure that operational challenges did not undermine the 2027 polls.

He also highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), describing it as a platform that brings INEC and relevant security and government agencies together to coordinate election security.

He said the committee, which began as a coordinating arrangement after the 2011 general elections following concerns over post-election violence, had evolved into a structured mechanism for election security coordination.

According to him, ICCES now operates at federal, state and local government levels, with the Inspector-General of Police participating at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level and divisional police leadership represented at the local government level.