The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that funding constraints could undermine election logistics and security ahead of the 2027 general elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, gave the warning on Wednesday in Owerri, Imo State, while delivering a goodwill message at the sixth edition of the Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers.

The conference, themed, “Developing a Nigeria Police Roadmap for Effective Management of Security During Elections,” brought together senior officers and stakeholders to deliberate on election security ahead of the 2027 polls.

Amupitan said financial resources were critical to the ability of INEC and security agencies to deploy personnel, electoral materials and other resources required for the smooth conduct of elections across the country.

He noted that while INEC funding was provided as a first-line charge, the commission had extensive responsibilities covering elections at different levels of government as well as voter registration and political party registration.

He said, “Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraint. 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.”

According to the chairman, INEC conducts elections for the President, Vice President and National Assembly, as well as governorship and state Houses of Assembly.

He added that the commission was also responsible for voter registration, describing it as the foundation of the electoral process.

He said an accurate and up-to-date voters’ register was essential to ensuring an inclusive election, adding that the commission had statutory powers to request the deployment of security agencies for voter registration and elections.

Amupitan argued that the financial requirements of elections should be viewed broadly because the electoral process affects the three tiers of government.

He said adequate resources were particularly important for election logistics, including the deployment of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, personnel and other operational requirements to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units.

The INEC chairman warned that even where security agencies successfully maintain peace, inadequate logistics could still disrupt the electoral process.

“If an election is peaceful and the logistics are not in place, there is no election coming because the police have done its job as the lead agency of security. But if the logistics are still not in place, it can be a threat to security,” he said.

Amupitan said the commission had therefore prioritised both security and logistics in its preparations for the 2027 elections.

He disclosed that INEC was working with the government and security agencies to address operational challenges that could affect the conduct of the polls.

The chairman also highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in coordinating the activities of INEC and security agencies.

According to him, ICCES has evolved from an arrangement established after the 2011 general elections, following concerns over post-election violence, into a structured platform for election-security coordination.

He said the committee now operates at the federal, state and local government levels, with the Inspector-General of Police participating at the national level, commissioners of police at the state level and police representatives at the local government level.

Amupitan maintained that the police remained the lead security agency during elections, while INEC would continue to work with the Force and other security agencies to ensure a secure electoral environment.

He also called for proactive intelligence gathering and stronger inter-agency coordination ahead of the 2027 polls, stressing that election security was essential to maintaining public confidence in the electoral process.

The INEC chairman said Nigerians expected a high standard of electoral administration but must also recognise the resources required to achieve it.

“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.

He urged relevant authorities to provide the necessary resources to enable INEC and security agencies discharge their responsibilities effectively during the 2027 elections.