2027 Polls: Groups Back INEC Demand For Remaining Funds

|  Amupitan: We expect prompt release of remaining budget to ensure seamless execution  |  Lagos, Kano, Kaduna top voter register

By ADEMU IDAKWO and JAMES KWEN

Civil society organisations Yiaga Africa and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) have spoken up in support of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s call for the immediate release of all outstanding funds approved for the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

The organisations warned that delays in releasing the funds could undermine INEC’s preparations and affect the credibility of the elections, coming barely months before the polls.

The call followed a disclosure by INEC chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, that although the federal government had maintained its commitment to democratic governance through the timely release of statutory budgetary allocations to the commission, some outstanding funds were still expected.

Speaking at a world press conference and national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja yesterday, Amupitan said the prompt release of the remaining funds was necessary for the seamless execution of the commission’s outstanding activities ahead of the elections.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP, the executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said INEC should not still be appealing for funds that had already been approved and were required for the conduct of the elections.

He described election funding as a constitutional and democratic necessity rather than a favour to the commission.

“This is deeply concerning. At this critical stage, INEC should not still be appealing for the release of funds already required for the conduct of the elections.

“Election funding is not a favour to the commission; it is a constitutional and democratic necessity. The Federal Government must immediately release every outstanding fund due to INEC.

“Any delay that threatens election preparations, logistics or the credibility of the process is unacceptable.

“Nigerians deserve an election management body that is fully funded, adequately prepared and free from financial uncertainty,” Itodo stated.

Similarly, the executive director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, expressed concern that INEC was still awaiting the release of part of its approved election budget barely months before the 2027 general elections.

He urged the federal government to release all legitimate outstanding funds without delay, warning that electoral preparations should not be held hostage by bureaucracy, funding uncertainty or political discretion.

Rafsanjani said INEC’s financial independence was critical to credible elections, adding that funding must not become a tool for exerting pressure on the commission or weakening its operational readiness.

He said resources required for election technology, logistics, personnel, sensitive materials, voter education and nationwide deployment must be made available early enough to prevent avoidable failures.

However, Rafsanjani said INEC must match its demand for funding with greater transparency and accountability.

“Nigerians deserve to know how much was approved, how much has been released, how much remains outstanding, what has already been spent and which critical activities are being delayed.

“Election funding must translate into measurable readiness, not merely budgetary allocations.

“Nigeria cannot accept funding delays as an excuse for electoral failure on election day. Government must provide the resources on time, while INEC must account for every naira and demonstrate that the money is producing credible voter registers, functional technology, trained personnel, effective logistics and transparent results management.

“The 2027 elections are too important for either funding failure or financial opacity,” he added.

The director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), Dr Garuba Dauda, also urged the Federal Government to honour whatever funding it had approved for INEC.

“INEC was provided a budget for the 2027 general elections. I am aware that the National Assembly engaged it. I don’t want to believe that the government will renege on whatever it approved for INEC.

“NASS and others in government, selfish as it may seem, are good at taking care of their interest,” Dauda said.

Lagos, Kano, Kaduna Lead Voter Register

Meanwhile, Lagos, Kano and Kaduna have emerged as the three states with the highest number of registered voters ahead of the 2027 general elections, according to figures released by INEC.

Lagos tops the list with 7,488,633 registered voters, followed by Kano with 6,570,276, while Kaduna is third with 4,662,640 voters.

Katsina State is fourth with 3,876,051 registered voters, followed by Rivers with 3,736,434.

Oyo has 3,588,111 registered voters, while Delta records 3,525,988.

Benue occupies eighth position with 3,057,225, followed by Ogun with 3,037,981, while Bauchi completes the top 10 with 3,012,547 registered voters.

The figures followed the conclusion of the three phases of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and subsequent Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) verification.

Amupitan said the three phases of the CVR produced 10,772,421 registrations after biometric verification, bringing the national register to about 103 million voters.

He said male voters account for 53,528,218, representing 51.75 per cent of the register, while female voters number 49,900,497, representing 48.25 per cent.

Voters aged between 35 and 49 constitute the largest age group, with 43,265,946, representing 41.83 per cent of registered voters. They are followed by those aged between 18 and 34, numbering 29,777,578, or 28.79 per cent of the register.

The commission also recorded 232,658 persons with disabilities across 10 disability categories.

Amupitan said the register of voters would be displayed for public scrutiny from October 9 to 15, 2026, to enable voters to raise claims and objections.

He added that the distribution of Phase One Permanent Voter Cards to Local Government Centres would commence on Friday, October 9.

The INEC chairman said the commission had also introduced online registration and printable PVC technology to reduce barriers to voter registration and ensure eligible voters could obtain their voting documents without unnecessary delays.

INEC Moves Into Active Deployment

Amupitan further said preparations for the elections had moved from planning to active deployment, with some states already receiving non-sensitive election materials.

He said procurement of sensitive materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, was nearing completion.

According to him, contracts had been awarded for 57,000 new Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, additional voting cubicles and ballot boxes, with some of the new BVAS devices already delivered.

Delivery of new operational vehicles is also ongoing nationwide, while construction of dedicated BVAS storage facilities and Local Government Area offices is progressing.

The commission has also awarded a contract for solar power installations across its offices, while upgrades to critical information and communications technology applications and infrastructure are underway.

On logistics, Amupitan said INEC had strengthened its arrangements with transport unions, including the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).

The arrangements, he said, would facilitate the early mobilisation of more than 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the movement of election personnel and materials.

He said specialised transport arrangements had also been made for difficult terrains in the Niger Delta, Lake Chad Basin and mountainous areas of the North-East and North-West.

According to him, non-sensitive materials are being pre-batched at Local Government Area hubs, while sensitive materials would be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to the LGAs 72 hours before the elections.

He said the materials were expected to reach all 8,838 Registration Area Centres and Super Registration Area Centres by 4pm on the eve of the elections.

INEC Strengthens Election Technology

Amupitan also disclosed that INEC had strengthened its electoral technology ahead of the polls.

He said existing BVAS devices had undergone software hardening, battery optimisation and biometric calibration, while a nationwide inventory audit, activation testing and GPS tracking verification had been completed.

A six-day stress-testing exercise for configured BVAS devices is scheduled for October 23 to 28, while a nationwide mock accreditation exercise will be conducted in November.

The commission has also established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence Division within its ICT Department.

Amupitan said AI-driven anomaly detection tools were being integrated into the results verification process, with mandatory human oversight.

He added that the technology would also help monitor database traffic and protect INEC’s public portals against cyber intrusions and unauthorised alterations.

The commission is also strengthening its electronic result management system, with the enhanced eEC8A system designed to enable polling-unit results to be verified, authenticated and uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.

EU, IPAC Demand Credible Poll

The development came as the European Union (EU) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) urged INEC and other stakeholders to ensure that the 2027 elections are free, fair and credible.

EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, urged INEC to build on what he described as the commission’s achievements in the recent Osun State governorship election.

He said credible elections were critical to preventing post-election violence.

“The only antidote to post-election violence is free, fair and credible elections,” Mignot said.

He urged INEC and other stakeholders to respect the rules governing the electoral process, stressing that the EU remained committed to Nigeria’s democratic development.

Also speaking, IPAC national chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantelle, called on INEC to maintain neutrality in the conduct of the elections.

Dantelle urged security agencies involved in the electoral process to remain neutral and resist attempts to use them for partisan purposes.

He said INEC, security agencies and other stakeholders must discharge their responsibilities professionally and in accordance with the law to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, INEC said it had completed nine of the 14 major statutory milestones contained in its revised timetable for the 2027 elections.

The commission is also preparing its security and logistics arrangements through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), while measures are being developed with relevant agencies to monitor illicit campaign spending and vote-buying.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are slated for February 6.