By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. | adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
Editor, DDNews |
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it is yet to receive budgetary allocations for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, even as preparations for the polls continue.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Malam Mohammed Haruna, made this known on Thursday in Abuja at a cross-sectorial interactive session organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in partnership with Legis360.
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The session reviewed the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election and assessed INEC’s level of preparedness for the 2027 polls.
Haruna revealed that INEC had proposed a total budget of ₦873.78 billion for the 2027 general elections, with significant portions earmarked for election operations, technology upgrades, and capital expenditure.
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He, however, assured stakeholders that the delay was still within the provisions of the Electoral Act, which requires that election funds be released not later than six months before the general elections.
“Although we are still awaiting the release of the funds, preparations for the conduct of successful 2027 elections are ongoing,” Haruna stated.
The National Commissioner disclosed that the commission had already begun arrangements for the procurement of new election materials, particularly Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices that were damaged, lost, or unrecovered during 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,” he explained.
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INEC also plans to conduct mock presidential election exercises to test its technology deployment and prevent a recurrence of the technical glitches that plagued the IReV portal during the 2023 presidential election.
High Cost of Elections Addressing concerns over the huge proposed budget, Haruna noted that when calculated on a per-voter basis, the cost remains relatively low at about six dollars per voter, considering that most election materials are imported and subject to exchange rate fluctuations.
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Challenges Haruna identified conflicting court judgments and last-minute injunctions as major operational challenges, citing how such orders disrupted the Ekiti governorship election. He also confirmed that an electoral officer involved in a recent data breach had been suspended, with the matter reported to the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and security agencies.
Call for Early Funding Executive Director of PAACA, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged the federal government to release funds to INEC on time, warning that late disbursements create emergency situations that could breed corruption and compromise the credibility of the electoral process.
“Whenever you create an emergency situation, corruption is very close behind,” Nwagwu said.
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He also called for institutionalised long-term training for ad hoc staff, especially NYSC members, to improve election management.
The interactive session brought together political parties, civil society organisations, and INEC officials to identify lessons from the Ekiti election and strengthen preparations for 2027.
DDNewsOnline – Lagos
By Ogungbayi Adeyemi S. (Beedee)
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