• INEC seeks N873.78b for 2027 polls, defends early appropriation
• Senate threatens ‘zero’ allocation for Accountant-General over fund delays
• Reps move to bar 22 MDAs from 2026 budget over audit breaches
• Protesters accuse finance officials of sabotaging 2025 implementation
• Oshiomhole cautions INEC against mandate drift, hospital plan

Tensions over public finance deepened yesterday as lawmakers scrutinised INEC’s N873.78 billion proposal for 2027, recommended sanctions against non-compliant agencies and questioned delays in Treasury fund releases.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, who presented the proposal before a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Electoral Matters, clarified that the N873.78 billion required for the 2027 polls is separate from the Commission’s 2026 budget proposal.

For 2026, INEC plans to spend N171 billion on its operations, including the conduct of by-elections and off-cycle elections.

Amupitan said preparations for the 2027 general elections had commenced in line with statutory provisions requiring that election funds be appropriated at least 360 days before the date fixed for the exercise.

According to him, early appropriation would guarantee proper planning and seamless nationwide conduct of the elections.

Although details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented at the session, he explained that the election budget is structured across five major components: N379.748 billion for operational costs; N92.317 billion for administrative costs; N209.206 billion for technological costs; N154.905 billion for election capital costs; and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous expenses.

The INEC chairman noted that the capital component was higher than in previous budgets because several capital items not adequately captured in earlier appropriations had now been consolidated into the 2027 election budget.

He said detailed budget codes for each category had been provided and that further explanations of the proposed expenditure were contained in documents submitted to the committee.

The joint session was chaired by Senator Simon Bako Lalong and Adebayo Balogun.

Amupitan stated that the projected election budget does not include a fresh proposal by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), which is seeking an increase in allowances for corps members engaged as ad hoc staff during elections.

He added that the budget was prepared in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before a general election.

On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan said the Ministry of Finance provided the Commission with a budget envelope of N140 billion.

However, INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171 billion for that year. The breakdown includes N109 billion for personnel costs; N18.7 billion for overheads; N42.63 billion for election-related activities; and N1.4 billion for capital expenditure.

He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.

Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge. He said if the Commission developed its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical failures.

In his remarks, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate. He urged that the envelope system be set aside for the Commission and that Parliament should work with INEC’s actual requirements to avoid future complaints of underfunding.

A member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable proper planning and execution of its responsibilities.

The joint committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.

It also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32 billion to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Simon Lalong, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative backing but cautioned the Commission against making promises it may not be able to fulfil.

“Meanwhile, the IREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned, recalling assurances given during the last general election about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal.

Senate threatens to withhold Accountant-General’s 2026 budget over fund release delays
Meanwhile, the Senate has threatened to withhold the 2026 budget allocation of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over persistent delays in the release of funds to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and the failure to clear outstanding contractor liabilities.

The warning was issued yesterday by the Senate Committee on Finance when the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, appeared before it to defend his office’s proposed 2026 budget.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Sani Musa, led members in declining consideration of the proposal, citing what they described as systemic inefficiencies in the Treasury and the failure to ensure timely disbursement of appropriated funds.

Lawmakers expressed concern that poor fund releases had left several agencies struggling to meet their obligations, including the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

Senator Danjuma Goje drew attention to the Federal Government’s inability to clear more than N2.2 trillion owed to contractors, questioning how revenues generated from fuel subsidy removal and government-owned enterprises were being managed.

“Where is the money?” Goje asked the Accountant-General on what he described as the disconnect between revenue inflows and the continued non-payment of contractors and agencies.

Other senators argued that inadequate and delayed funding had hampered statutory transfers and affected the operations of security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They criticised the continued reliance on the envelope system of fund disbursement, describing it as outdated and opaque.

The committee recommended a transition to a performance-based disbursement system that would link fund releases to measurable outputs in order to enhance accountability and reduce delays.

In his defence, Ogunjimi maintained that the Treasury could only disburse funds formally released to it. He said the office currently operates without the flexibility of a Ways and Means facility, which allows temporary bridging of funding gaps.

He also acknowledged challenges associated with the existing payment platform, noting that it was undergoing expansion to improve its capacity and efficiency.

The Accountant-General further attributed part of the problem to MDAs, stating that many agencies fail to remit collected revenues and taxes promptly and sometimes award contracts not fully backed by cash.

According to him, these practices limit the Treasury’s ability to meet obligations even when funds are available.

Despite the explanations, senators repeatedly demanded clarity on why critical agencies continued to operate under financial constraints despite revenue inflows. Specific reference was made to line items in the budgets of security agencies, statutory transfers and INEC, where members said inadequate funding had led to operational difficulties.

Goje and other members warned that continued inefficiencies would not be tolerated. They indicated that failure to improve fund releases and accountability mechanisms could result in what they described as a symbolic “zero” allocation for the Office of the Accountant-General in the 2026 budget.

Following the exchanges, the committee resolved to hold an executive session with the Accountant-General to address unresolved queries and clarify modalities for fund management in the coming fiscal year.

The session is expected to review processes relating to revenue remittances, contract funding and the proposed shift to a performance-based disbursement framework.

The Senate’s stance reflects growing concern within the legislature over fiscal management, particularly amid mounting economic pressures, outstanding contractor liabilities and the need to fund essential services.

Lawmakers insisted that the Treasury must operate with greater transparency, efficiency and accountability, stressing that continued lapses in fund disbursement could attract firm legislative action as the 2026 fiscal year approaches.

Reps panel recommends budget exclusion for 22 MDAs over accountability breaches
This came as the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended that 22 federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) be denied budgetary allocations in the 2026 Appropriation over alleged accountability breaches.

The lawmakers accused the affected MDAs of persistent violations and refusal to submit to legislative oversight.

The decision followed a public hearing yesterday, where the committee considered audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.

According to the committee, the agencies failed to honour repeated invitations, declined to submit critical financial records and refused to appear before lawmakers to explain issues bordering on non-compliance with financial regulations, due process violations and weak internal control systems.

Those recommended for budget exclusion include the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Also affected are the Federal University of Gashua; Federal Polytechnics in Ede and Offa; Federal Medical Centres in Owerri, Makurdi, Bida, Birnin Kebbi and Katsina; Federal Government College, Kwali; Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, Abuja; Federal Government College, Rubochi; Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Owerri; Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria; and the FCT Secondary Education Board.

Chairman of the committee, Mr Bamidele Salam, said the National Assembly could not continue to appropriate funds to institutions that had failed to account for previous allocations and ignored lawful summons.

“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” Salam said.

He added that the recommendation was aimed at restoring fiscal discipline and strengthening transparency across federal institutions, noting that several of the agencies had not submitted audited financial statements for between three and five years, in violation of statutory requirements.

The committee maintained that the proposed action was in line with the Financial Regulations 2009 and the constitutional oversight powers of the National Assembly.

Protesters storm N’Assembly, accuse finance officials of sabotaging 2025 budget
Angry protesters under the umbrella of the National Vanguard for Accountable and Transparent Democracy (NVATD) yesterday stormed the National Assembly in Abuja, accusing top finance officials of allegedly sabotaging the implementation of the 2025 budget.

The group accused the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite; and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamsedeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, of frustrating budget implementation and crippling key sectors, including health, education and infrastructure.

The protesters linked their action to a recent disclosure by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, who said only N36 million had been released to the ministry out of more than N200 billion appropriated for public health in the 2025 budget.

Pate, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services on Monday, attributed the poor performance of the 2025 health budget to cash flow constraints and systemic bottlenecks in the Federal Government’s budget execution process, particularly within the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.

Addressing journalists during the protest, Secretary-General of NVATD, Harry Linus, said the refusal to release funds for capital projects captured in the 2024 Appropriation Act had stalled government activities and contributed to the non-performance of the 2025 budget.

“They have grounded Nigeria. Contractors executed projects under the 2024 budget, many of them using bank loans, and those projects were commissioned by the government. Yet the contractors have not been paid. As a result, nothing moved in 2025,” Linus said.

According to him, the situation has left hospitals without drugs, forced medical personnel into industrial action and weakened public institutions across the country.

He added that the failure to fund capital projects had stalled new contracts under the 2025 appropriation, slowed economic activities and deepened hardship for Nigerians.

The protesters warned that unless the issues were urgently addressed, confidence in the 2026 Appropriation Bill currently before the National Assembly would remain low.

NVATD called on lawmakers to intensify oversight of budget implementation and to withhold approvals for agencies that failed to perform in the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, except in critical sectors such as health, education and security.

Oshiomhole questions plan for dedicated INEC hospital
Senator Adams Oshiomhole has questioned the necessity of establishing a dedicated hospital for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), describing the proposal as a distraction from the commission’s core mandate.

Speaking during a recent session, Oshiomhole asked: “Do you have an INEC special disease?” as he challenged the rationale behind plans for the commission to operate its own medical facility in Abuja.

He pointed out that INEC maintains offices in all 36 states of the federation and argued that it would be impractical for staff in states such as Edo or Lagos to travel to the Federal Capital Territory for medical treatment.

According to him, the commission’s focus should remain on the conduct of free, fair and credible elections rather than venturing into healthcare provision.

Oshiomhole noted that healthcare falls under the purview of the Ministry of Health and said INEC should not attempt to provide specialised medical services for its employees.

He also expressed concern over the potential implications for resource allocation, questioning whether the commission would recruit medical specialists for a wide range of health conditions, including prostate-related ailments or paediatric care.

“This is goal displacement,” he said, urging the commission to concentrate on its constitutional responsibilities.

The former Edo State governor emphasised that the financial and logistical demands of establishing and running a hospital could undermine INEC’s primary function of electoral management.

He suggested that instead of building its own facility, the commission should liaise with the Ministry of Health to address the medical needs of its personnel.