In a move that signals a massive investment in digital infrastructure amidst lingering transparency concerns, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proposed a N209.206 billion budget specifically for technological costs within its broader N873.778 billion request for the 2027 general elections.
Presenting the 2026 budget and 2027 projections to the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters on Thursday, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan underscored that modernizing the commission’s technical backbone is central to the upcoming electoral cycle.
This technological allocation accounts for nearly a quarter of the total election budget, reflecting an attempt to fortify systems following the controversies surrounding result transmission in previous polls.
Central to Amupitan’s presentation was the revelation that INEC is seeking to move away from third-party reliance by developing its own dedicated communications network infrastructure.
The Chairman argued that the lack of an independent network remains a significant operational bottleneck.
By building its own infrastructure, Amupitan maintained that the Commission would finally be in a position to take full responsibility for its performance, asserting that Nigerians would be better equipped to hold INEC accountable for technical failures if the agency controlled its own connectivity.
This push for a private network appears to be a direct response to the e-transmission debates, aiming to eliminate the excuse of external service provider failures during critical data uploads.
However, the Commission’s technological ambitions were met with cautious reminders from the legislature regarding public trust.
Bayo Balogun, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, warned the Commission against over-promising on technical capabilities.
Recalling the 2023 elections, Balogun noted that strong assurances regarding the real-time uploading of results to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal created expectations that the Commission ultimately struggled to meet.
He pointed out that while such regulations were internal to INEC, they were not explicitly mandated in the Electoral Act at the time, leading to significant public friction when technical hitches occurred.
Supporting the need for financial autonomy to back these technical goals, Senator Adams Oshiomhole and other lawmakers argued that the envelope budgeting system is fundamentally unsuitable for an agency as sensitive as INEC.
The Joint Committee expressed support for placing INEC’s budget on a first-line charge to ensure the full and timely release of funds.
Beyond the N209 billion for technology, the total N873.7 billion proposal includes N379.7 billion for operations, N92.3 billion for administration, and N154.9 billion for capital costs.
The lawmakers emphasized that providing the Commission with its actual requirements, including the funding for a dedicated network, is essential to prevent future complaints of underfunding or system crashes that have historically marred the credibility of the vote.
