The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections.
The electoral body also demanded N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
The N873.78bn proposed for the 2027 elections is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
The country will hold general elections in 2027, while Ekiti and Osun states will conduct governorship elections this year, alongside the Federal Capital Territory election and by-elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made this known while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of the 2027 general elections, while the N171bn proposal for 2026 is to support routine activities, including by-elections and off-season polls.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that the proposed election budget did not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad hoc staff during elections.