The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has underscored the critical role of adequate and timely funding in ensuring the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections, saying early access to resources remains essential for effective planning, procurement and deployment of election materials across the country.
The commission also disclosed plans to conduct mock presidential election exercises ahead of the polls as part of measures to eliminate technical hitches and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, stated this during a fireside chat organised by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) in Abuja.
The session focused on lessons from the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Haruna said the commission was already deepening preparations for the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state assembly elections scheduled for early next year, stressing that election management on the scale of Nigeria requires substantial planning and long lead times.
According to him, while the Electoral Act 2026 provides for election funds to be released not later than six months before a general election, preparations for an exercise of such magnitude often require much earlier financial support.
“As far as I know, we haven’t received the money yet,” he said.
Haruna noted that election logistics involve complex procurement processes that cannot be accomplished at short notice.
“Even six months is really, really very tight. These logistics are not available off the shelf. If you are going to buy ballot boxes, they have to be manufactured. Voting cubicles, ballot papers themselves and so forth all take time,” Haruna added.
He explained that several election materials must be specially produced and delivered ahead of polling day, while some of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in previous elections would also need to be replaced.
According to him, delays in funding could affect key aspects of election administration, including the procurement of materials, deployment of technology, training of personnel and nationwide logistics coordination.
Haruna, however, assured Nigerians that the commission was drawing lessons from previous elections and putting measures in place to strengthen the integrity and efficiency of the electoral process.
As part of those measures, he revealed that INEC was considering conducting one or more mock presidential election exercises before the 2027 polls to test its systems and prevent a recurrence of the technical challenges that affected the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal during the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, the commission has carefully reviewed the experience and is determined to ensure that similar challenges do not recur.
“We are making sure that this thing doesn’t happen again. There will be mock exercises. There may even be more than one mock exercise for the presidential election. The commission has not taken a final decision on that yet, but definitely there will be tests,” he said.
The National Commissioner also identified conflicting court orders and last-minute judicial decisions as significant challenges confronting election administration.
He disclosed that the commission would soon engage the judiciary, beginning with the Supreme Court, on concerns relating to rulings that sometimes compel INEC to alter election arrangements at short notice.
“We have scheduled meetings with the judiciary, beginning with the Supreme Court, because some of these concerns need to be addressed,” Haruna said.
According to him, sudden court orders requiring the inclusion of political parties or candidates close to election dates often necessitate the reconfiguration of systems, the reprinting of election materials and adjustments to logistics plans.
Haruna maintained that election management requires certainty and adequate planning time, noting that some judicial interventions have considerable operational implications.
On election integrity, he described vote-buying as one of the most serious threats to Nigeria’s democracy and urged both politicians and voters to play their part in addressing the challenge.
“Our greatest area of worry is vote-buying because politicians are the ones buying votes and some voters are also willing to sell their votes,” he said.
The Commissioner further disclosed that an electoral officer allegedly linked to the recent unauthorised disclosure of voter information had been suspended pending the outcome of investigations.
He said the commission had completed its internal investigation and referred the matter to the relevant authorities, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and data protection regulators.
“As I am talking to you now, the officer involved is under suspension. We have completed our internal investigation and are awaiting the outcome of investigations by the relevant agencies before taking further action,” Haruna stated.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of PAACA, Ezenwa Nwagwu, stressed the importance of timely funding for election management institutions, warning that delays could create avoidable pressure and increase the risk of procedural lapses.
According to him, election preparation requires adequate planning time and should not be left to emergency measures.
“I always know that politicians like to create emergencies because once you create emergencies, corruption moves closer.
“When institutions are forced to work under pressure, people begin to say, ‘Just go ahead.’ Once that happens, rules can be bypassed, and that is dangerous,” Nwagwu said.
He argued that credible elections should not be viewed solely as INEC’s responsibility, insisting that political actors and other stakeholders also have important roles to play in creating the conditions necessary for transparent and credible polls.
Nwagwu maintained that supporting electoral institutions with the resources and environment needed to plan effectively would contribute significantly to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process.
Stakeholders at the forum agreed that adequate funding, rigorous testing of electoral technology, institutional cooperation and sustained efforts to curb vote-buying would be crucial to delivering elections that are free, fair and credible.
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