The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a total of N873.78 billion for the 2027 general elections, including N12.29 billion for the printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and N500 million for hand sanitisers across polling units nationwide.
The commission presented the budget before the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters of the National Assembly in Abuja on February 12, detailing allocations for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and other critical election materials.
A breakdown shows that INEC earmarked:
N12.29 billion for PVC printing;
N500 million for hand sanitisers;
N359.88 million for methylated spirit; and
N450.24 million for cotton wool and related health materials.
The proposal also includes N1.25 billion for repairs and servicing of operational vehicles to improve logistics, and N300 million for political party retreats as part of pre-election stakeholder engagement.
Presenting the proposal, Prof. Joash Amupitan, INEC Chairman, said preparations for the 2027 elections had begun in line with statutory requirements.
He explained that the total budget is divided into four main components: Election operations: N375.75 billion; Administrative costs: N92.31 billion; Technology: N209.21 billion;
Capital expenditure: N154.90 billion;
with N41.61 billion set aside for miscellaneous expenses.
Under the technology component, the commission earmarked N1.215 billion for the Hybrid e-EC8A and Result Management System (RMS) and N162.5 million for system upgrades.
Amupitan emphasized the importance of early funding, noting, “If you want to predict the future, it is necessary to create it early on time. That is the reason why the National Assembly decided years back that appropriations for general elections should be made 360 days before the election.”
Responding, Senator Simon Lalong, committee chairman, assured INEC of legislative support while noting the need for scrutiny.
“We’ll look into it. It is not INEC that will determine the cost. The committee will examine the proposal critically,” he said.
The proposed budget will undergo detailed legislative review in the coming months as preparations intensify for the 2027 elections.
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