Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, in Owerri, Imo State, called for adequate 2027 election funding, warning that financial constraints could affect the security, logistics and operational preparations required for Nigeria’s general elections.

Amupitan made the appeal while delivering a goodwill message at the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers, a three-day gathering held in Owerri from 21 to 23 September under the theme, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections.”

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The INEC chairman said the commission’s funding is provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, but argued that the breadth of its constitutional and statutory responsibilities requires sustained financial support.

“Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints,” Amupitan said, noting that public institutions must work within the resources available and approved at a given time.

INEC is responsible for presidential, National Assembly, governorship and State House of Assembly elections, alongside voter registration and the registration of political parties.

The commission also has statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies during elections and voter registration, making security closely tied to its wider electoral responsibilities.

For Amupitan, the funding question extends beyond the polling day itself.

Electoral personnel and materials must reach local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units across the country, creating a substantial logistical operation that can be affected even when security agencies succeed in maintaining public order.

He also described voter registration as the foundation of a credible electoral process, warning that an inaccurate or outdated register could limit the inclusiveness of elections.

The concern comes as INEC moves deeper into preparations for the 2027 polls.

The commission formally released its timetable in February, setting the presidential and National Assembly elections for 20 February 2027 and the governorship and State House of Assembly elections for 6 March 2027.

The electoral calendar means the funding discussion is unfolding alongside other preparations, including voter-registration work, party activities, logistics planning and security coordination.

INEC said in February that the success of the 2027 elections would be a collective responsibility involving government institutions, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and citizens.

Security was a central theme of the Owerri retreat. The Nigeria Police Force had announced before the event that CARSPO 2026 would bring together senior police officers and other stakeholders to examine emerging electoral-security challenges and develop practical measures for protecting voters, electoral personnel, candidates and election materials.

Amupitan pointed to the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, known as ICCES, as an important mechanism for bringing INEC, the police and other security agencies together.

He said the arrangement had evolved from a coordination mechanism established after the 2011 general elections into a structure operating at federal, state and local government levels.

The chairman said stronger coordination would be needed ahead of 2027 and urged senior police officers to maintain professional neutrality, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen cooperation with other agencies.

The appeal also reflects lessons from recent off-cycle elections, which Amupitan said offered useful experience in intelligence gathering, logistics and inter-agency coordination.

The police remains the lead agency for election security, while INEC retains responsibility for organising and administering the polls.

Amupitan framed the funding issue as a national responsibility rather than simply an institutional request.

“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.

The message was echoed by Nigerian Bar Association President Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, who urged the Nigeria Police Force to provide the support and cooperation required by INEC.

Badejo-Okusanya said effective policing would be important to safeguarding the electoral process and supporting free, fair, credible and transparent elections.

The discussion places resources alongside security, logistics and voter registration as central practical questions for the 2027 election cycle.

INEC’s own earlier remarks have similarly linked electoral security with logistics, describing security as an integral part of the movement and protection of election personnel, materials and voters.

The immediate challenge, therefore, is not simply whether funding is provided, but whether the resources required for a nationwide election can be made available in time for the various stages of preparation.

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With the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for 20 February 2027, followed by governorship and State House of Assembly elections on 6 March, the Owerri retreat has brought a practical question into sharper focus: how adequately Nigeria equips the institutions responsible for delivering the vote.