NEWS
INEC Gets Over ₦1 Trillion in 2026 Budget as Nigeria Prepares for 2027 Polls, Raising Fresh Debate on Election Costs, Transparency and Logistics
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been allocated a staggering ₦1,013,778,401,602 in the 2026 budget presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, signalling the Federal Government’s financial preparedness ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The allocation, which is one of the largest in the commission’s history, was disclosed in the details of the 2026 Appropriation Bill released by the Budget Office of the Federation. The move comes at a critical time as Nigeria begins early preparations for what is expected to be one of the most complex and logistically demanding elections in its democratic history.
President Tinubu had presented a total 2026 Appropriation Bill of ₦58.18 trillion to the National Assembly. The proposed budget, tagged “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity,” projects total revenue of ₦34.33 trillion against total expenditure of ₦58.18 trillion, with ₦15.52 trillion earmarked for debt servicing.
INEC’s over ₦1 trillion allocation has already drawn significant public attention, particularly against the backdrop of the commission’s repeated calls for early and adequate funding to guarantee credible elections.
Analysts and election observers note that the size of the allocation reflects the enormous logistical and operational demands associated with conducting elections in Africa’s most populous country. These demands include the procurement of election technologies, voter education programmes, nationwide deployment of ad hoc and permanent staff, transportation of materials, and enhanced security coordination.
The allocation also aligns with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. Section 3(3) of the Act mandates that election funds must be released well ahead of time.
As stated in the law: “The election funds due to the Commission for any general elections are to be released to the Commission not later than one year before the next general election.”
In recent years, INEC’s budgetary profile has continued to rise. In 2025, the National Assembly approved an upward review of the commission’s budget, increasing it to ₦140 billion from the ₦40 billion initially proposed by the Federal Government. For the 2023 general elections, INEC spent ₦313.4 billion. However, the commission revealed in its 2023 General Election Report that although ₦355 billion was approved for the exercise, only ₦313.4 billion had been released as of September 2023.
A historical review of election spending in Nigeria shows a steady upward trend. The National Assembly approved ₦143 billion for the 2019 general elections, while checks revealed that about ₦108.8 billion was spent on the 2015 polls.
Meanwhile, projections for the 2027 elections suggest even higher costs. According to a report by The Guardian, Professor Bolade Eyinla, immediate past Chief Technical Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had in October projected that the commission may spend about ₦870 billion (approximately $600 million) to conduct the 2027 general election.
Speaking at a Yiaga Africa 2027 Elections Scenarios and Election Manipulation Risk Index (EMRI) Retreat in Abuja, Eyinla explained that Nigeria’s elections rank among the largest civil operations in peacetime globally, requiring extensive financial, technological and logistical investments.
He attributed the projected cost to the scale of Nigeria’s electoral process, noting that the country currently has over 93 million registered voters, 176,846 polling units and 1,558 electoral constituencies nationwide.
According to him, previous election costs, adjusted for inflation, currency fluctuations and operational expansion, informed the ₦870 billion estimate.
Eyinla explained that the 2015 elections cost ₦109 billion (US$662 million), the 2019 elections ₦189 billion (US$619 million), while ₦355 billion (US$628 million) was spent on the 2023 elections.
He further argued that Nigeria’s election costs compare favourably with other democracies, both within and outside Africa.
In his words: “In comparative terms, the cost of conducting a general election in Nigeria is among the lowest in Africa. For instance, in Kenya, the cost per voter was US$25.9 in 2017 and US$14.9 in 2022; in Ghana, US$13.1 in 2016 and US$7.7 in 2020; in South Africa, US$5.1 in 2019 and US$7.1 in 2024; in the Democratic Republic of Congo, US$22 and US$14.37 per voter in 2023; and in Liberia, US$22 per voter in 2023. This comparison is no less striking with India, the world’s largest democracy, where the cost was US$8.5 per voter in 2019.”
He added: “Based on the prevailing US$ to Naira exchange rate at the time of each election, the cost of Nigeria’s previous three general elections was: N109 billion (US$662 million) in 2015, N189 billion (US$619 million) in 2019, and N355 billion (US$628 million) in 2023.
“Considering the current state of the economy, inflation, and the consumer price index from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), it is estimated that conducting the 2027 general election will require about US$600 million (approximately N870 billion), assuming INEC manages its resources prudently.”
As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 elections, the unprecedented ₦1 trillion-plus allocation to INEC is expected to intensify discussions around accountability, efficiency, and the effective use of public funds to deliver elections that meet both domestic and international standards.