The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said that the umpire would require about ₦126 billion to fund its activities in 2025 and begin preparation for the 2027 general elections.
Mahmood stated this at the National Assembly Complex while defending the 2025 budget proposal before the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.
According to him, the ₦40 billion proposed for the Commission in the 2025 budget proposal by President Bola Tinubu is inadequate considering the payment of salaries and allowances for the year given the recent increase in the minimum wage.
He noted that in 2024, INEC was allocated the same ₦40 billion, which only covered salaries and some social contributions such as NHIS contributions, pensions, and ITF, among others.
He said, “We complained about the allocations, and you asked what we thought would be adequate. We made a proposal of N80bn then. We are aware that you made efforts to ensure an increase, but that did not work.
“On our part, we made efforts and approached the executive for more funds, and we were able to get about N10.5bn from the executive to take care of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections. That was why we were able to conduct those elections and came out successful.”
He described 2025 as a critical year, saying, “We have the Anambra governorship election coming up later in the year. Provision for preparation for that election is not in the budget.
“We must prepare for the conduct of the Area Council elections scheduled for February 2026, and the budget for that election is not in this budget. We must monitor party primaries for these elections, including the conduct of bye-elections, and the budget for that is not in the current budget.
“Also, we must begin preparation for the 2027 general elections this year. We have not commenced the continuous voter registration exercise because of a lack of money. We have to start this year and end it in 2026. We must also begin the redistribution of voters to polling units from those that are overpopulated. All these activities cost money, and that has not been considered in this budget,” he added.
The INEC boss also noted that the Commission has about 11 bye-elections this year, both in the National and state Houses of Assembly, as a result of death and resignation, adding that the Commission has been able to secure about ₦500 million from the government for that purpose, adding that the money will, however, not be enough to cover the cost of the exercise.
Yakubu lamented that despite the inflationary trend in the country, the Commission is still being allocated ₦40 billion without consideration of the increase in minimum wage.
In his words, INEC currently has over 14,700 staff members apart from political appointees affiliated with the commission.
