2027: INEC Warns Funding Shortfalls Could Undermine Election Security, Logistics

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said adequate funding will be critical to providing the security and logistics required for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan made the disclosure on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, while delivering a goodwill message at the sixth 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 is constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the breadth of its responsibilities requires sustained financial support.

According to him, INEC is responsible for presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly elections, as well as voter registration and the registration of political parties.

He also noted that the commission has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration, making adequate funding an important component of election security.

“Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints,” Amupitan said, stressing that available resources determine what agencies, including INEC and the police, can accomplish.

He said funding was particularly important for deploying electoral personnel and materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.

Amupitan warned that even where security agencies successfully maintain peace, inadequate logistics could still disrupt the electoral process.

He further described voter registration as the foundation of credible elections, noting that an inaccurate or outdated voters’ register could affect the inclusiveness and credibility of the process.

INEC has previously announced plans for nationwide voter revalidation and a clean-up of the register ahead of the 2027 elections.

The INEC chairman therefore argued that election expenditure, including security-related costs, should be treated as a collective national responsibility because the commission conducts elections affecting the three tiers of government.

Amupitan said security and logistics had remained priorities under his leadership, adding that INEC was working with government and security agencies to ensure operational challenges do not undermine the 2027 polls.

He also highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) as a platform for coordinating INEC, security and other relevant government agencies.

According to him, ICCES, which emerged from election-security coordination efforts following the 2011 general elections, now operates at the federal, state and local government levels.

The Inspector-General of Police participates at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level, while divisional police leadership is represented at the local government level.

INEC has previously stressed that security agencies will have to strengthen planning, intelligence gathering, deployment and inter-agency coordination as electoral activities intensify ahead of 2027.