INEC budgets ₦126bn for 2025

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will need N126bn to fund its 2025 activities ahead of the 2027 elections.

This was declared by the Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, while defending the 2025 budget proposal at the National Assembly Complex.

In his address to the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters, Yakubu claimed that the amount requested would not be enough.

According to him, the N40bn would not be enough to pay salaries and allowances due to the minimum wage increase.

“We complained about the allocations, and you asked what we thought would be adequate. We made a proposal of N80bn then. We are aware that you made efforts to ensure an increase, but that did not work.

“On our part, we made efforts and approached the executive for more funds, and we were able to get about N10.5bn from the executive to take care of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections. That was why we were able to conduct those elections and came out successful,” he said.

Yakubu stated that activities in 2025 were packed and this needed a lot of money to undertake.

“We have the Anambra governorship election coming up later in the year. Provision for preparation for that election is not in the budget.

“We must prepare for the conduct of the Area Council elections scheduled for February 2026, and the budget for that election is not in this budget. We must monitor party primaries for these elections, including the conduct of bye-elections, and the budget for that is not in the current budget.

“Also, we must begin preparation for the 2027 general elections this year. We have not commenced the continuous voter registration exercise because of a lack of money. We have to start this year and end it in 2026. We must also begin the redistribution of voters to polling units from those that are overpopulated. All these activities cost money, and that has not been considered in this budget,” the Chairman said.

Yakubu explained that 14,700 staff members were on the payroll of the Commission, excluding political affiliates.

 “INEC has to be independent, and whatever we have to do to get funding for the commission mscenarioust be done. It is not whether the commission will get the money. It has to get the money needed,” he said regarding the funding.

In his reaction, a member of the House of Representatives, Adeboye Paul, warned that a scenario where the local government stepped in where the federal failed is creating a loophole in the system to be exploited.