The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the Federal Government to urgently release outstanding budgetary allocations to enable it complete preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who spoke on Tuesday at a World Press Conference and National Stakeholders’ Meeting, said the commission had made significant progress in its preparations but would require timely access to the remaining funds to sustain the pace of implementation.
Amupitan said the funds already released had enabled the commission to meet international vendor obligations, finance the production of critical election technology, upgrade infrastructure and sustain multi-stakeholder operations across the country.
“However, we expect the prompt release of the remaining budgets to ensure seamless execution of the activities,” he said.
He described the financial preparedness of the commission as a critical component of the election process, noting that an election of the scale of the 2027 general election required not only adequate funding but also fiscal discipline.
“Executing a national election of this magnitude requires robust financial backing and fiscal discipline,” Amupitan said.
According to him, the commission was operating within a framework of transparent fiscal management, with statutory budgetary allocations supporting its ongoing preparations.
The funding issue comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 elections, with the commission saying it has already completed nine of the 14 critical statutory milestones contained in its revised timetable issued on February 26, 2026.
Amupitan said the commission had translated the timetable into an operational execution plan covering its headquarters departments and directorates, 36 state offices, the Federal Capital Territory and all 774 local government areas.
He stressed that funding was particularly important to the commission’s ability to sustain election technology, logistics and other operational requirements nationwide.
The INEC official also identified logistics, election materials and security as essential requirements for the successful conduct of the polls.
“Sensitive materials and agile logistic infrastructure and precision-driven intelligence-led security arrangement are the non-negotiable foundation for seamless election delivery nationwide,” he said.
