President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has allocated ₦1.013 trillion to the Independent National Electoral Commission in the 2026 budget submitted to the National Assembly ahead of the 2027 general elections. The allocation was contained in details released by the Budget Office of the Federation, which showed the exact figure as ₦1,013,778,401,602.
The provision forms part of the proposed ₦58.18 trillion national budget for 2026, described by the President as the Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience and Shared Prosperity. The proposal estimates government revenue at ₦34.33 trillion, while total spending stands at ₦58.18 trillion, including ₦15.52 trillion set aside for debt servicing.
INEC has consistently maintained that elections can only be properly conducted when funds are released early and in full. This position is supported by the Electoral Act 2022, which requires that money meant for general elections must be made available to the commission at least one year before the polls.
In recent years, the commission’s budget has continued to rise. In 2025, lawmakers approved an increase in INEC’s allocation from ₦40 billion to ₦140 billion. For the 2023 general elections, INEC reported spending ₦313.4 billion.
The commission also disclosed in its post-election report that although ₦355 billion was approved for the 2023 polls, only ₦313.4 billion had been released as of September 2023. The new allocation is expected to support early preparations and reduce funding-related challenges ahead of the 2027 elections.
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