Barely four months to the 2027 general elections, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has renewed calls for adequate funding of the commission, warning that the security and logistics required for a successful poll remain contingent on sustained financial support.
Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, in a statement on Wednesday, said Amupitan spoke in Owerri, Imo State, where he delivered a goodwill message at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, themed “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”
Oketola disclosed that the INEC chairman was accompanied to the event by National Commissioners, Dr. Ken Nnamdi Ukeagu and Rear Admiral Jamila Abubakar Malaga (retd); the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Imo State, Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziakor, Esq.; as well as Mustapha Muhammad Dogondaji, Personal Assistant; Ahmad Yusuf, Executive Assistant (Finance); and Barr. Ezeh N. Emmanuel, Head of Legal, INEC Imo State.
Speaking at the retreat, Amupitan said although the commission’s funding was constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the scale of its responsibilities required sustained financial backing to enable it deliver on its mandate.
He said: “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to 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.”
