The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is once again begging for funds, and this time, it’s not a small amount. INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, recently told the National Assembly that the commission needs ₦126 billion to fund its operations in 2025 and kick-start preparations for the 2027 general elections. Yet, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has generously allocated only ₦40 billion for INEC in the 2025 budget proposal.
What They Are Saying
Yakubu made this revelation during his budget defense at the National Assembly Complex before the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters. He was actually specific about how inadequate the ₦40 billion is, especially with the recent increase in the minimum wage.
According to him, this same ₦40 billion barely covered salaries and basic contributions like pensions and health insurance in 2024. Now, with more responsibilities piling up, INEC is expected to perform magic.
Yakubu bluntly stated, “We complained about the allocations, and you asked what we thought would be adequate. We made a proposal of ₦80 billion then. We are aware that you made efforts to ensure an increase, but that did not work.”
Why It Matters
But 2025 isn’t just about Edo and Ondo. Yakubu warned that next year will be packed with critical activities. There’s the Anambra governorship election, Area Council elections in February 2026, monitoring of party primaries, bye-elections, and, of course, early preparations for the 2027 general elections. Yet, none of these have been factored into the current budget. Yakubu also highlighted the need to restart continuous voter registration and redistribute voters from overcrowded polling units. But again, no money.
INEC is already dealing with 11 pending bye-elections due to deaths and resignations in the National and State Assemblies. Yakubu admitted that the ₦500 million secured for these elections is grossly inadequate. Meanwhile, inflation is skyrocketing, and INEC still gets the same ₦40 billion it received last year, as if the economy hasn’t changed.
It has over 14,700 staff members, not including political appointees like the chairman, 12 national commissioners, 37 resident electoral commissioners, and their numerous aides, all of whom draw salaries from this measly budget. Yakubu also pointed out that INEC has over 850 buildings needing renovation across the country, including offices in 8,809 wards, 774 local governments, 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory. Sixty-nine local government offices are still stuck in insecure locations, and the commission hopes to relocate at least 30 if the ₦126 billion is approved.
And then there’s the issue of election equipment. INEC plans to replace damaged items like BVAS machines and voting cubicles. Between the 2023 elections and now, INEC has lost about 440 BVAS machines. Sure, they received ₦205 million in insurance claims, but that money was conveniently paid into government coffers, not directly to INEC.
Reacting to Yakubu’s presentation, Senator Ireti Kingibe didn’t hold back. She stressed that INEC must be independent and fully funded. “INEC has to be independent, and whatever we have to do to get funding for the commission must be done. It is not whether the commission will get the money. It has to get the money needed,” she said.
Adeboye Paul, a member of the House of Representatives, called out the dangerous practice of local governments stepping in to fund elections due to budget shortfalls. “From what we are seeing, it is clear that we are running a dangerous system. When there is a shortfall, the local government comes in to supplement, and that is dangerous for the system,” he warned. He criticized the budget defense process, questioning why lawmakers bother if their input is ignored.
Bottom Line
Nigeria’s democracy can’t afford this cycle of underfunding and last-minute scrambling for cash. Without proper funding, the risk of compromised elections grows, and the consequences could be disastrous. INEC needs the ₦126 billion it requested, not the petty sum it’s being offered. Anything less is an insult to democracy. Well it’s not like our democracy is actually free and fair, whatever we are practicing is not democracy.
