The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to receive a historic N1,013,778,401,602 in the 2026 budget presented to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
The allocation, one of the largest in INEC’s history, comes as Nigeria gears up for the 2027 general elections.
Details of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, released by the Budget Office of the Federation, show that the proposed N58.18 trillion budget projects total revenue of N34.33 trillion and total expenditure of N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget has been tagged the “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.”
INEC has repeatedly emphasised the importance of adequate funding to ensure credible elections. The new allocation will be put to the test as the commission prepares for nationwide logistical operations, including procurement of technology, voter education, and deployment of staff across the country. Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 requires that election funds be released at least one year before the polls.
Historically, election funding has seen significant increases. In 2025, the National Assembly approved an upward revision of INEC’s budget to N140 billion from an initial N40 billion proposal. For the 2023 general elections, the commission spent N313.4 billion, although only that portion of the approved N355 billion had been released by September 2023. For comparison, the 2019 elections cost N143 billion, while the 2015 polls were conducted at about N108.8 billion.
Professor Bolade Eyinla, former Chief Technical Adviser to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, projected in October that the 2027 general elections may cost around N870 billion (approximately US$600 million). Speaking at a Yiaga Africa 2027 Elections Scenarios and Election Manipulation Risk Index retreat in Abuja, Eyinla described Nigeria’s elections as among the largest peacetime civil operations, requiring extensive financial, technological, and logistical resources.
The projected costs reflect the scale of the electoral exercise, with over 93 million registered voters, 176,846 polling units, and 1,558 electoral constituencies. Eyinla noted that accounting for inflation, currency fluctuations, and expanded operations, the N870 billion estimate is realistic. On a per-voter basis, the cost works out to about US$6.72, which falls within international norms for transitional democracies.
Eyinla compared Nigeria’s election costs with other countries: in Kenya, costs per voter were US$25.9 in 2017 and US$14.9 in 2022; Ghana spent US$13.1 in 2016 and US$7.7 in 2020; South Africa’s costs were US$5.1 in 2019 and US$7.1 in 2024; the Democratic Republic of Congo spent US$22 and US$14.37 per voter in 2023; Liberia’s elections cost US$22 per voter in 2023; and India’s 2019 election cost US$8.5 per voter.
“Considering Nigeria’s economic conditions, inflation, and consumer price trends, conducting the 2027 general election is estimated to require around US$600 million (approximately N870 billion), provided INEC manages its resources prudently,” Eyinla said.
The allocation, one of the largest in INEC’s history, comes as Nigeria gears up for the 2027 general elections.
Details of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, released by the Budget Office of the Federation, show that the proposed N58.18 trillion budget projects total revenue of N34.33 trillion and total expenditure of N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget has been tagged the “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity.”
INEC has repeatedly emphasised the importance of adequate funding to ensure credible elections. The new allocation will be put to the test as the commission prepares for nationwide logistical operations, including procurement of technology, voter education, and deployment of staff across the country. Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 requires that election funds be released at least one year before the polls.
Historically, election funding has seen significant increases. In 2025, the National Assembly approved an upward revision of INEC’s budget to N140 billion from an initial N40 billion proposal. For the 2023 general elections, the commission spent N313.4 billion, although only that portion of the approved N355 billion had been released by September 2023. For comparison, the 2019 elections cost N143 billion, while the 2015 polls were conducted at about N108.8 billion.
Professor Bolade Eyinla, former Chief Technical Adviser to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, projected in October that the 2027 general elections may cost around N870 billion (approximately US$600 million). Speaking at a Yiaga Africa 2027 Elections Scenarios and Election Manipulation Risk Index retreat in Abuja, Eyinla described Nigeria’s elections as among the largest peacetime civil operations, requiring extensive financial, technological, and logistical resources.
The projected costs reflect the scale of the electoral exercise, with over 93 million registered voters, 176,846 polling units, and 1,558 electoral constituencies. Eyinla noted that accounting for inflation, currency fluctuations, and expanded operations, the N870 billion estimate is realistic. On a per-voter basis, the cost works out to about US$6.72, which falls within international norms for transitional democracies.
Eyinla compared Nigeria’s election costs with other countries: in Kenya, costs per voter were US$25.9 in 2017 and US$14.9 in 2022; Ghana spent US$13.1 in 2016 and US$7.7 in 2020; South Africa’s costs were US$5.1 in 2019 and US$7.1 in 2024; the Democratic Republic of Congo spent US$22 and US$14.37 per voter in 2023; Liberia’s elections cost US$22 per voter in 2023; and India’s 2019 election cost US$8.5 per voter.
“Considering Nigeria’s economic conditions, inflation, and consumer price trends, conducting the 2027 general election is estimated to require around US$600 million (approximately N870 billion), provided INEC manages its resources prudently,” Eyinla said.
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