‎President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has proposed an allocation of N1.01 trillion to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2026 Appropriation Bill, ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
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‎The allocation of N1,013,778,401,602 to INEC is contained in the details of the 2026 Appropriation Bill presented by the President to the National Assembly and released by the Budget Office of the Federation.
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‎The proposed provision represents one of the largest budgetary allocations to the electoral body in its history, as Nigeria gears up for the conduct of nationwide elections in 2027.
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‎President Tinubu presented a total budget estimate of N58.18 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year, tagged “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.”
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‎The budget projects total revenue of N34.33 trillion and total expenditure of N58.18 trillion, with N15.52 trillion earmarked for debt servicing.
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‎Observers say the proposed funding for INEC is expected to support critical electoral activities, including procurement of election technologies, voter education, logistics, and deployment of personnel across the country.
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‎INEC has repeatedly stressed the importance of early and adequate funding to ensure the credibility and efficiency of the electoral process.
‎Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates that funds for general elections be released to the commission at least one year before the polls.
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‎“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,” the Act stipulates.
‎In 2025, the National Assembly approved an upward review of INEC’s budget, increasing it to N140 billion from the N40 billion earlier proposed by the Federal Government.
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‎For the 2023 general elections, the commission spent N313.4 billion. However, INEC disclosed in its 2023 General Election Report that although N355 billion was approved for the exercise, only N313.4 billion had been released as of September 2023.
‎The National Assembly is expected to scrutinise and debate the 2026 budget proposal in the coming weeks.