2027 Elections: Funding Delay Raises Fears as Parties Warn of Crisis

By: Abudu Olalekan

Truth is, nobody likes waiting for money. Especially not when an entire country’s electoral future hangs in the balance.

Major political parties have had enough. They’re warning—loudly—that delays in releasing funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2027 general elections could seriously undermine preparations. The credibility of the whole process? That’s on the line.

The African Democratic Congress, Peoples Democratic Party and Nigeria Democratic Congress aren’t mincing words. Delayed funding, they say, could disrupt key procurement timelines. Public confidence might erode. And ultimately the smooth conduct of the 2027 elections hangs in the balance.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

INEC isn’t panicking. Not one bit. The commission dismissed these concerns outright, insisting they remain financially on track. Preparations are progressing exactly according to schedule.

And the ruling All Progressives Congress? They’re backing the commission completely. They express confidence that President Bola Tinubu will ensure timely release of resources needed for free, fair and credible polls.

The whole controversy kicked off Thursday. That’s when INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna, who handles Voter Education and Publicity, dropped a bombshell. The commission hasn’t received budgetary releases for 2027 yet.

Haruna was speaking at a cross-sectoral interactive session organized by the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Abuja. He quickly added though—they’ve already commenced preparations in line with the Electoral Act.

Here’s the legal bit. The law says election funds should drop not later than six months before the general election. But INEC isn’t sitting idle. They’ve started arranging procurement of critical materials. New Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines are on the shopping list—to replace devices damaged, lost or never recovered after previous elections.

There’s more. Haruna disclosed plans for mock presidential election exercises. They need to test technology infrastructure. Nobody wants a repeat of those technical glitches that hit the INEC Result Viewing Portal during the 2023 presidential election. That was a mess.

The numbers are staggering. INEC has proposed N873.78bn for 2027. That’s covering election operations, technology deployment and capital expenditure. One of the largest electoral budgets in Nigeria’s history, no doubt.

Election experts keep hammering the same point. Timely funding remains critical because many sensitive materials, technology platforms and specialized equipment come from abroad. We’re talking months of production, testing and delivery. And remember, Nigeria has over 176,000 polling units to supply.

Over the years, INEC keeps saying the same thing. Early fund release lets them procure sensitive and non-sensitive materials, recruit and train ad hoc staff, upgrade technology, run voter education campaigns and sort out logistics well before election day.

This matters more now than ever. Remember the 2023 general elections? Logistical nightmares. Technology failures. Particularly around delayed uploads of presidential results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal. That left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

Delayed funding threatens 2027 polls – Opposition

Against this backdrop, opposition parties aren’t holding back. Any delay in funding the electoral commission, they warn, carries far-reaching implications for credibility and smooth conduct.

Speaking with Reportersroom, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi didn’t sugarcoat it. The delay is disturbing.

“It has very serious implications because INEC has to carry out a lot of procurement, many of which are imports,” he said. “If those procurements have not been made by now, it may pose serious threats to the election in the months ahead.”

He stressed that election management needs long-term planning. Early deployment of resources is non-negotiable. Any delay could affect the commission’s ability to meet key timelines.

The PDP echoed similar warnings. Delayed funding could undermine electoral integrity.

Ini Ememobong, Publicity Secretary of the Tanimu Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee, told Reportersroom that elections run on strict constitutional and administrative timelines. These shouldn’t be compromised.

“The failure to adequately fund the Independent National Electoral Commission at this stage may be part of a broader strategy not only to undermine the electoral process but to derail it entirely,” he stated. “Elections are time-bound, and many critical activities must be carried out according to strict timelines.

“Most of the required materials and logistics cannot simply be procured off the shelf at the last minute. The continued delay in releasing funds therefore reflects a grave level of irresponsibility and a lack of commitment to democracy.

“The National Assembly and the executive arm of government must urgently ensure that INEC is adequately funded and that all relevant agencies receive the necessary resources to effectively discharge their responsibilities ahead of the elections.”

Abdulmumin Abdulsalam, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, also finds the delay worrisome. But he’s confident the executive and National Assembly will step up before things get ugly.

“Of course, this delay is a source of concern because the companies providing those services and materials will require time to produce them,” he explained to Reportersroom. “Besides, many are not done in Nigeria because of security features.

“However, I don’t think it can mar the conduct of the forthcoming election since the executive arm of government is responsible for funding INEC.

“I’m sure they equally know the implication. I also want to believe that the National Assembly, as an institution, is monitoring the situation and will do the needful to ensure we don’t fall into a quagmire.

“I have a strong conviction that something will be done in time for INEC to make adequate preparations in terms of staff training, procurement of devices, materials and other logistics.”

Delayed funding not a threat to polls – APC

The APC sees things differently. They reject suggestions that INEC preparations are under threat.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary Duro Meseko told Reportersroom the ruling party has absolute confidence in the electoral commission’s leadership. Tinubu, they believe, will provide all necessary support.

“The APC has implicit confidence in the current leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission, ably led by Prof Joash Amupitan and the Commission’s management,” he stated.

“As for the alleged delay in the release of funding, we are not aware of such information. However, I am confident that President Tinubu will not shirk his constitutional responsibility to protect and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.

“He has consistently demonstrated his commitment to democratic governance, and there is no reason to believe that INEC will be denied the funds it requires under this administration.”

Meseko added that preparations are progressing according to plan.

“It’s important to note that the country is currently undergoing an economic reorientation, with the president prioritising prudent spending and eliminating wasteful expenditures,” he said. “Despite this, INEC remains a top priority.

“The commission recently conducted a free, fair and credible election in Ekiti State without raising concerns over logistics or funding. As we speak, INEC has more than enough election materials on ground to conduct any election.

“Furthermore, the 2027 general election is still some time away. Anyone monitoring the INEC procurement portal will have noticed that the commission has, in recent months, advertised several contracts for the supply of election materials and related services.

“These advertisements show that procurement processes are already underway. Once those processes are concluded, the necessary resources will be released. Therefore, there is no cause for alarm, as preparations for the 2027 elections are progressing in line with established procedures.”

Delayed funding could jeopardise 2027 elections – Yiaga Africa

Professor Nnamdi Aduba, Board of Trustees member at Yiaga Africa, isn’t taking chances. He warns that any delay in releasing funds to INEC could jeopardize 2027 election credibility.

In an interview with Reportersroom, Aduba explained that elections require extensive planning and timely funding. The electoral umpire needs this to execute critical pre-election activities—procurement, logistics and personnel mobilization.

“Elections are very expensive. A lot of things must be in place,” he said. “INEC’s planned processes have to be fully implemented. Printing must be done, logistics must be handled, and the necessary mobilisation must be carried out. The biggest challenge INEC has consistently faced is logistics.”

According to him, late disbursement creates room for undue influence. It compromises electoral integrity.

The university don cautioned against any attempt to delay funding, insisting such actions don’t serve Nigeria’s democracy.

“When you don’t mobilise funding early and people who should have got funding early did not, and politicians have the opportunity of giving it to them, what will happen? You are exposing the process to unimaginable dangers.

“Anyone trying to delay INEC funding at this time does not mean well for the electoral process,” he said flatly.

‘INEC financially on track, 2027 poll preparations ongoing’

INEC leadership maintains there’s no cause for panic.

A top commission official, speaking with Reportersroom on condition of anonymity, explained that general election funding follows a phased release pattern. It’s not one-off disbursement.

“When it comes to funding an exercise as massive as the 2027 general elections, the process is always handled in structured, planned phases rather than all at once,” the official said. “We have a solid, ongoing relationship with the Federal Government regarding our budget, and I can tell you that the government has been completely supportive and committed to making sure our timelines are met.

“As a rule, we don’t discuss the details of our financial transactions or release schedule in the media. What is most important for the public to know is that INEC is financially on track. Our preparations—from upgrading election technology to procuring materials—are fully moving forward on schedule without any hitches.”

This exchange comes as political parties, election observers and civil society organizations intensify calls for early preparations. They want to avoid logistical shortcomings that marred previous elections, and strengthen public confidence in the 2027 process.

Although INEC insists it remains within the Electoral Act timeframe, analysts say coming months will be crucial. Can the commission sustain its procurement schedule? Will technology upgrades happen on time? Can they deliver credible polls nationwide?

The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections go down January 16, 2027. Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections follow on February 6, 2027.

Campaigns for presidential and National Assembly races begin August 19, 2026. Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns kick off September 9, 2026.