The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has stressed the need for adequate funding to provide the security and logistical support required for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan made the remarks on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, while delivering a goodwill address at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, themed, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”
The INEC chairman noted that although the commission’s funding is constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the wide range of responsibilities assigned to the commission requires sustained financial support.
He explained that INEC is responsible for conducting presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly elections, as well as voter registration and the registration of political parties. The commission also has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies during elections and voter registration.
He said, “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints. The system does make allocations of what is available and what is affordable at a particular time for the expenses and appropriation of the agencies, including the police and also including INEC.”
Amupitan described voter registration as a critical foundation of the electoral process, warning that an inaccurate or outdated voters’ register could undermine the inclusiveness of elections.
He also stressed that adequate resources were necessary for deploying electoral personnel and materials across local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units. According to him, maintaining peace would not by itself guarantee a successful election if the necessary logistical arrangements were inadequate.
The INEC chairman said the commission had therefore placed security and logistics among its priorities ahead of the 2027 polls and was working with government institutions and security agencies to address potential operational challenges.
He further highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), describing it as an important platform for coordinating INEC, security agencies and other government stakeholders.
According to Amupitan, ICCES emerged following concerns over post-election violence after the 2011 general elections and has since developed into a structured election-security coordination mechanism operating at the federal, state and local government levels.
He said stronger inter-agency coordination would be required ahead of the 2027 elections, with the police continuing to serve as the lead security agency for elections.
Amupitan also referenced lessons from recent off-cycle elections, saying the experiences should inform preparations for the 2027 polls, particularly in the areas of intelligence gathering, logistics and coordination among security and electoral agencies.
He noted that Nigerians expected a highly effective electoral system but said such expectations also came with financial implications.
“In Nigeria, we want the best. We want our electoral system to be 100 per cent. But sometimes we don’t ask ourselves the question: if we want the nation to be perfect, there must be a cost for it,” he said.
He consequently urged the relevant authorities to provide adequate resources to enable INEC and security agencies to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to strengthening operational cooperation through ICCES and expressed hope that the Owerri retreat would produce an actionable roadmap for election security ahead of the 2027 general elections.
