Budget 2026: INEC proposes to spend N873.78bn on 2027 elections

By Musa Baba Adamu with

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a budget of N873.78 billion to organise the 2027 general elections across Nigeria.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, presented the proposal yesterday before the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly. He said preparations for the 2027 elections have already begun, noting that the law requires election funds to be approved at least 360 days before the polls.
According to him, early approval of the budget will allow the commission to plan properly and ensure the smooth conduct of the elections nationwide.
“Early appropriation is necessary to guarantee adequate planning and seamless execution of the elections,” he told lawmakers.
A breakdown of the proposal shows that election operations take the largest share, with N375.75 billion set aside for activities directly linked to the conduct of voting. Administrative costs are projected at N92.31 billion, while N209.21 billion is earmarked for election technology. The chairman explained that the commission will continue to rely heavily on technology-driven processes for the 2027 polls.
INEC also proposed N154.90 billion for capital expenses. Altogether, the four main components amount to N832.17 billion.
In addition, N41.61 billion has been reserved for other related expenses, bringing the total proposed budget to N873.78 billion.
Prof. Amupitan noted that the capital allocation in the 2027 proposal is higher than in previous election budgets.
He explained that several capital items that were not fully included in earlier budgets have now been consolidated into the new proposal.
He also provided budget codes for each category, stating that election operations fall under codes 230101 to 230601, administrative costs under 230703 to 230812, technology costs under 230707 to 230811, capital costs under 230198 to 320201, and miscellaneous expenses under code 230725.
The INEC chairman added that full details of the proposed spending, including specific activities and cost items, are contained in the document submitted to the National Assembly.