Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the commission should be funded directly from the federation account to guarantee free, fair and credible elections.
BACKGROUND
In February, President Bola Tinubu signed into law the
Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) Bill.
The development followed the passage of the legislation by
the national assembly after months of debate, review and amendments by both
chambers.
Speaking shortly after signing the bill into law, Tinubu
commended the national assembly for the “solid brainstorming discussions” aimed
at strengthening national development and safeguarding democratic stability.
In April, the house of representatives amended the Electoral
Act 2026, designating the court of appeal as the final arbiter for pre-election
disputes involving state houses of assembly, the national assembly and
governorship contests.
Earlier in July, the court of appeal in Abuja voided
sections 77(5), (6), (7), and 84(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 for being
inconsistent with certain provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that a subsidiary
law cannot disqualify an individual already deemed qualified by the
constitution
‘GOVERNORSHIP, ASSEMBLIES ELECTIONS COST INEC MORE’
Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the public presentation of
Shadows: Protest Essays on Africa’s Most Consequential Country (1999-2023), a
two-volume book authored by Eniola Bello, managing director of ThisDay
Newspaper, the INEC chairman said the current budgetary process undermines the
commission’s financial independence and operational efficiency.
Amupitan said although the Constitution places the
commission on the first-line charge, the existing funding framework does not
guarantee genuine financial autonomy.
He said INEC’s dependence on the annual appropriation
process and the federal government’s envelope budgeting system makes it
difficult for the electoral body to function independently.
“Experience over the years has shown that as long as INEC is
still subject to the normal envelope system and the processes of appropriation,
having to go to the national assembly, it is very difficult to operate in such
a situation without wasting your time,” Amupitan said.
He argued that the commission’s constitutional
responsibilities extend beyond conducting presidential and national assembly
elections, stressing that INEC also conducts governorship and state assembly
elections, and registers and regulates political parties.
He noted that the commission also maintains the national
register of voters used for elections at all levels.
He said despite these nationwide responsibilities, the
burden of funding the commission rests on the federal government because its
finances are drawn from the consolidated revenue fund.
According to him, governorship and state assembly elections
cost more to conduct than presidential and national assembly polls, making the
current funding structure unsustainable.
“It is for this reason we feel that although the
Constitution tried to place INEC on the first-line charge, it is not strong
enough,” the INEC chairman said.
“INEC should come as part of the federation account so that
we can have seamless operations and what we call operational efficiency.”
He called for further amendments to the Electoral Act to
strengthen the commission’s oversight of political parties.
He said INEC should play a more active role in ensuring
political parties comply with their constitutions, the Nigerian Constitution
and the Electoral Act, adding that stronger regulatory powers could reduce the
volume of pre-election litigation.
Amupitan said the commission is considering a mediation
mechanism to resolve internal party disputes within three months as an
alternative to prolonged court cases.
He also proposed that all disputes relating to political
parties be concluded at least one year before a general election to prevent
last-minute legal battles from disrupting the electoral process.
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