2027: INEC Seeks Adequate Funding for Election Security, Logistics

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

Amupitan stated this 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.”

He said although INEC’s funding was constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the scale of the commission’s responsibilities required sustained financial support.

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

He added that the commission also had statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies during 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,” Amupitan said, stressing that adequate resources were necessary to meet the expectations of Nigerians for a credible electoral system.

The INEC chairman also identified voter registration as the foundation of credible elections, warning that an inaccurate or outdated voters’ register could undermine the inclusiveness of the electoral process.

He said election expenditure, including security-related costs, should be treated as a collective national responsibility because INEC conducts elections across the three tiers of government.

Amupitan noted that adequate funding would be particularly important for deploying personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.

He maintained that even where security agencies successfully maintained peace, inadequate logistics could still disrupt the electoral process.

The chairman said security and logistics had remained priorities under his leadership, adding that INEC was working with government and security agencies to address operational challenges ahead of the 2027 polls.

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

According to him, ICCES, which emerged after the 2011 general elections amid concerns over post-election violence, has evolved into a structured mechanism operating at federal, state and local government levels.

He said stronger inter-agency coordination would be necessary ahead of 2027, stressing that the Nigeria Police Force remained the lead agency for election security.

Amupitan urged senior police officers to maintain professional neutrality, strengthen intelligence gathering and ensure seamless coordination with other agencies to protect the integrity of the ballot.

He said lessons from recent off-cycle elections should be applied to improve preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly in intelligence gathering, logistics and inter-agency cooperation.

“In Nigeria, we want the best. We want our electoral system to be 100 per cent. But sometimes we don't ask ourselves the question: if we want the nation to be perfect, there must be a cost for it,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the Owerri retreat would produce an actionable roadmap for election security ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, urged the leadership and operational personnel of the Nigeria Police Force to provide strong support and synergy to the INEC chairman in the discharge of his mandate.

She said effective policing support remained vital to safeguarding the electoral process and ensuring free, fair, credible and transparent elections across the country.