Prof. Joash Amupitan, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has stressed that enough funding is crucial for obtaining the security and logistical support needed to carry out the general elections in 2027.
During a goodwill speech at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, which had as its theme “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections”, Amupitan delivered this message on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State.
The INEC chairman noted that while the commission’s funding is constitutionally designated as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the breadth of its mandates necessitates continuous financial investment to facilitate effective electoral administration.
He elaborated that INEC bears responsibility for conducting not only presidential and National Assembly elections, but also governorship and state House of Assembly elections, managing voter registration, and overseeing the registration of political parties.
According to him, the commission additionally possesses statutory authority to direct the deployment of security agencies for electoral activities and voter registration processes, thereby establishing security as a fundamental component of the electoral framework.
He said, “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you can 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 emphasised that voter registration constitutes the cornerstone of legitimate elections, asserting that an inaccurate or obsolete voters’ register could compromise the electoral process’s inclusiveness.
He contended that because INEC administers elections affecting all three governmental tiers, election-related expenditures, encompassing security-related outlays, ought to be regarded as a shared national obligation.
The chairman noted that sufficient funding was essential for deploying personnel and electoral materials to local government areas, wards, registration areas, and polling units.
In his assessment, even when security agencies successfully maintain peace, insufficient logistical support could still jeopardise election administration.
Amupitan noted that INEC had prioritised both security and logistics under his tenure, emphasising that the commission was collaborating with governmental and security entities to prevent operational impediments from compromising the 2027 elections.
He further emphasised the significance of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, saying it is a collaborative forum that combines INEC and security and governmental agencies to facilitate election security coordination.
He explained that the committee, which originated as a coordinating framework following the 2011 general elections in response to post-election violence concerns, has matured into a formalised election security coordination mechanism.
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According to him, ICCES now operates at federal, state and local government levels, with the Inspector-General of Police participating at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level and divisional police leadership represented at the local level.
The INEC chairman said stronger coordination among the agencies would be necessary ahead of 2027, noting that the police remained the lead agency when it came to election security.
He also cited recent off-cycle elections as evidence of the importance of adequate security and coordination, recalling that security agencies had helped to resolve incidents that could otherwise have disrupted the electoral process.
Amupitan said the experience of recent elections should be used to strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections, particularly in intelligence gathering, logistics and inter-agency coordination.
He added that Nigerians expected a highly effective electoral system but must also recognise that achieving such standards requires adequate resources.
“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 urged the relevant authorities to provide the resources required by security agencies and INEC to perform their respective responsibilities effectively.
Reaffirming the Commission’s commitment to deepening operational synergy through ICCES, the Chairman expressed optimism that the Owerri retreat would produce an actionable, forward-looking roadmap ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
He charged senior police managers to sustain absolute professional neutrality, proactive intelligence gathering, and seamless inter-agency coordination to continuously protect the integrity of the ballot.
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