By James Adamu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received over N500 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, representing more than 50 percent of its total budget proposal, the commission’s Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mohammed Haruna, has disclosed .
Haruna, who spoke during an interview with Arise News on Friday, described the release of the funds as a welcome development, even as he acknowledged lingering concerns over outstanding debts from previous elections and the need for timely release of the remaining allocation .
“Where we are now is that we’ve received more than half the fund. About 500 and something-billion. More than 50% of it,” Haruna stated.
INEC had formally proposed a total budget of N873.78 billion for the 2027 general elections when it appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in February 2026 .
Presenting the proposal, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, explained that the submission complied with statutory requirements mandating that election funding be appropriated at least 360 days before the date fixed for the exercise.
The budget is broken down into four major components: N375.75 billion for election operations, N92.31 billion for administrative costs, N209.21 billion for election technology, and N154.90 billion for capital expenditure. An additional N41.61 billion was earmarked for miscellaneous expenses .
Despite the positive development, Haruna revealed that INEC is still grappling with debts from the 2023 general election, as the commission did not receive full funding for that exercise .
“We are owing contractors, some six or so billion, and then from the statutory allocation of 140 something billion for that year, we still owed over 20 billion,” Haruna disclosed .
He noted that the first N500 billion tranche was released only a week or two weeks ago .
Preparations Underway
Responding to concerns over delayed funding, Haruna said INEC had already begun preparations for the 2027 elections, including plans to procure additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and other election materials needed for the polls .
“Our Director of ICT and one other person, they were away in China, to finalize the importation of BVAS. And you know, that is the Biometric Voter Registration System, which is central to our election now,” he said .
Previous Funding Concerns
The announcement comes after weeks of anxiety over election funding. In late June 2026, Haruna had disclosed that the commission was yet to receive budgetary allocations for the 2027 elections, though he noted that the development was still within the time limit prescribed by the Electoral Act .
The Electoral Act provides that election funds due to the commission shall be released “not later than six months before the next general election” .
Major political parties had earlier warned that delay in the release of funds could undermine election preparations and the credibility of the polls . However, INEC dismissed the concerns, stating that it remained financially on track .
Cost per Voter
Haruna had previously advised citizens to look beyond the total figure when considering the cost of elections, noting that when calculated on a per-voter basis, the cost remains relatively low compared to other nations .
“This N800 billion plus sounds humongous, but when you calculate the average cost per voter, it is about six dollars, which is reasonable for a country such as Nigeria,” he had explained at a cross-sectoral interactive session in Abuja .
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