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 on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, while delivering a goodwill message at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers.
The conference was themed, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.” The Nigeria Police Force had earlier said the retreat was designed to develop strategies for managing election security ahead of the 2027 polls.
Funding Needed for INEC Operations
Amupitan said although the commission’s funding is constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the scale of its responsibilities requires sustained financial support to enable it to conduct elections effectively.
He explained that 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.
According to him, the commission also has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration, making security an integral part of the electoral process.
He said: “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints. The system does make allocations of what is available and what is affordable at a particular time for the expenses and appropriation of the agencies, including the police and also including INEC.”
Voter Registration, Logistics
The INEC chairman stressed that voter registration remains the foundation of credible elections, saying an inaccurate or outdated voters’ register could undermine the inclusiveness of the electoral process.
He argued that because INEC conducts elections affecting the three tiers of government, election expenditure, including security-related costs, should be approached as a collective national responsibility.
Amupitan said adequate funding was particularly important for the deployment of personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.
According to him, even where security agencies succeed in maintaining peace, inadequate logistics could still undermine the conduct of an election.
INEC Prioritises Security, Logistics
Amupitan said INEC had made security and logistics priorities under his leadership, adding that the commission was working with government and security agencies to ensure that operational challenges did not undermine the 2027 polls.
He also highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) as a platform that brings INEC and relevant security and government agencies together to coordinate election security.
According to him, ICCES began as a coordinating arrangement after the 2011 general elections following concerns over post-election violence and has since evolved into a structured mechanism for election security coordination.
He said ICCES now operates at federal, state and local government levels, with the Inspector-General of Police participating at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level and divisional police leadership represented at the local level.
The INEC chairman was accompanied by National Commissioners Dr. Ken Nnamdi Ukeagu and Rear Admiral Jamila Abubakar Malaga (Retd.), OFR, mni; the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Imo State, Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziakor, Esq.; and the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the Chairman, Mr. Adedayo Oketola.
Also on the entourage were Mustapha Muhammad Dogondaji, Personal Assistant; Ahmad Yusuf, Executive Assistant (Finance); and Barr. Ezeh N. Emmanuel, Head of Legal, INEC Imo State.
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