INEC Says More Than ₦500 Billion Has Been Released for 2027 Election Preparations

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has already received more than ₦500 billion from its budget allocation for the 2027 general elections, as preparations for the nationwide polls continue.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed this during an interview on Friday.

He said the commission has begun spending part of the funds on early preparations, in line with the Electoral Act, which requires election funding to be released well ahead of the polls.

"We've already received over ₦500 billion of the budget allocation," Haruna said.

"We have started making preparations because elections of this magnitude require early planning."

He explained that the money would support critical activities, including procurement of election materials, technology, logistics, voter education and other preparations needed before the 2027 elections.

Haruna added that INEC remains committed to conducting free, fair and credible polls.

Earlier this year, President Bola Tinubu proposed more than ₦1 trillion for INEC in the 2026 Appropriation Bill to enable the electoral body prepare for the 2027 general elections.

The allocation is one of the largest ever made to the commission and follows estimates that the next nationwide elections could cost about ₦870 billion to conduct.

Haruna also dismissed suggestions that the commission was delaying preparations, insisting that planning for a general election begins long before Nigerians cast their votes.

"Elections are not events that you prepare for overnight," he said.

"A lot of work is already going on behind the scenes to ensure that Nigerians have credible elections in 2027."

Nigeria's next general election is expected to hold in early 2027, when voters will elect the president, governors, members of the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly.

INEC says early funding will help it meet legal deadlines and improve planning for one of Africa's largest democratic exercises.