The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said adequate funding of elections is critical to providing the security and logistics required for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the chairman, Adedayo Oketola , 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 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 said INEC was responsible not only for presidential and National Assembly elections, but also for governorship and state House of Assembly elections, voter registration and registration of political parties.
Amupitan added that the commission had statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration, making security an integral part of the electoral process.
“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,” he said.
The INEC chairman stressed that voter registration remained the foundation of credible elections, warning that an inaccurate or outdated voters’ register could undermine the inclusiveness of the electoral process.
He said because INEC conducts elections affecting the three tiers of government, expenditure on elections, including security-related costs, should be regarded as a collective national responsibility.
According to him, adequate funding was particularly important for the deployment of personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.
Amupitan noted that even where security agencies succeeded in maintaining peace, inadequate logistics could still undermine the conduct of an election.
