National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has called for sustained funding of election-related operations, warning that inadequate resources could affect the security and logistics required for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Amupitan made the call on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, while delivering a goodwill message at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO 2026), organised around the theme, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”
The INEC chairman said the Commission’s funding is constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, but stressed that the scale of its responsibilities requires consistent financial support.
He noted that INEC conducts presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state House of Assembly elections, in addition to voter registration and the registration of political parties.
According to him, the Commission’s statutory responsibilities also include requesting the deployment of security agencies for elections and voter registration, making security an essential component of the electoral process.
“Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints,” Amupitan said.
He explained that available resources are distributed based on what government can afford at a particular time, affecting agencies including INEC and the police.
The INEC chairman said adequate funding was particularly necessary for the deployment of personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.
He warned that maintaining peace alone would not guarantee successful elections if security agencies and electoral personnel lacked the logistics required to operate effectively.
Amupitan also identified voter registration as a fundamental component of the electoral process, stressing that an inaccurate or outdated register could undermine the inclusiveness of elections.
He said the cost of conducting elections, including associated security requirements, should be regarded as a collective national responsibility because of INEC’s mandate across the three tiers of government.
The chairman said security and logistics had remained priorities under his leadership, adding that INEC was engaging government and security agencies to address operational challenges ahead of the 2027 elections.
He further highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in bringing together INEC, security agencies and other relevant government institutions for coordinated election-security planning.
Amupitan said the committee had evolved into a structured coordination mechanism operating at federal, state and local government levels, with the Inspector-General of Police represented at the national level, Commissioners of Police at the state level and divisional police leadership at the local level.
He called for stronger inter-agency collaboration ahead of the 2027 polls, noting that the Nigeria Police Force remains the lead agency in election security.
The INEC chairman also urged senior police officers to maintain professional neutrality, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen coordination with other agencies in protecting the electoral process.
He said lessons from recent off-cycle elections should inform preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly in the areas of intelligence, logistics and inter-agency cooperation.
“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.
Amupitan consequently urged relevant authorities to provide INEC and security agencies with the resources required to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
He expressed optimism that the Owerri retreat would produce an actionable roadmap capable of strengthening election security ahead of the 2027 general elections.
INEC’s current official election calendar lists January 16, 2027 for the Presidential and House of Assembly election and February 6, 2027 for the Governorship and State House of Assembly election.
Also speaking at the event, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, urged the leadership and operational personnel of the Nigeria Police Force to work closely with the INEC chairman.
She stressed the importance of effective police support in safeguarding the electoral process and facilitating free, fair, credible and transparent elections.
