The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has stressed that adequate funding is critical to ensuring the security and logistics required for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria. Speaking at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers in Owerri, Imo State, Amupitan highlighted the importance of sustained financial support for INEC to effectively conduct elections. He noted that the commission's responsibilities, including presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and state House of Assembly elections, voter registration, and political party registration, require substantial funding.
Amupitan explained that INEC's funding is constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, but the scale of its responsibilities demands additional financial support. He emphasized that security is an integral part of the electoral process, and the commission has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration. The INEC chairman cited financial constraints as a challenge in implementing the commission's plans, stating that sometimes it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial limitations.
The INEC chairman stressed that voter registration remains the foundation of credible elections, and an inaccurate or outdated voters' register could undermine the inclusiveness of the electoral process. He argued that election expenditure, including security-related costs, should be approached as a collective national responsibility, considering INEC's role in conducting elections affecting the three tiers of government. Amupitan highlighted the importance of adequate funding for deploying personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas, and polling units.
Amupitan noted that even where security agencies succeed in maintaining peace, inadequate logistics could still undermine the conduct of an election. He stated that INEC had made both security and logistics priorities under his leadership and is working with the government and security agencies to ensure that operational challenges do not undermine the 2027 polls. The chairman also highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), which brings INEC and relevant security and government agencies together to coordinate election security.
ICCES, established after the 2011 general elections, has evolved into a structured mechanism for election security coordination, operating at federal, state, and local government levels. The Inspector-General of Police participates at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level, and divisional police leadership is represented at the local level. Amupitan emphasized that stronger coordination among agencies would be necessary ahead of 2027, with the police remaining the lead agency in election security.
The INEC chairman cited recent off-cycle elections as evidence of the importance of adequate security and coordination, recalling that security agencies had helped resolve incidents that could have disrupted the electoral process. He added that the experience of recent elections should be used to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly in intelligence gathering, logistics, and inter-agency coordination. Amupitan urged the relevant authorities to provide the resources required by security agencies and INEC to perform their respective responsibilities effectively.
Reaffirming the Commission's commitment to deepening operational synergy through ICCES, Amupitan expressed optimism that the Owerri retreat would produce an actionable, forward-looking roadmap ahead of the 2027 General Elections. He charged senior police managers to sustain absolute professional neutrality, proactive intelligence gathering, and seamless inter-agency coordination to continuously protect the integrity of the ballot. The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, also emphasized the importance of robust policing support in safeguarding the electoral process and guaranteeing the delivery of free, fair, credible, and transparent elections.
Key points
- Adequate funding is crucial for providing security and logistics for the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.
- INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan emphasizes the importance of sustained financial support for the commission to effectively conduct elections.
- The Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) plays a vital role in coordinating election security among relevant agencies.
