The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that the Federal Government allocated a total of N313.4 billion for the planning and execution of the 2023 general elections. This information was contained in the commission’s 2023 General Election Report, which was made public on Friday.
According to the report, as of September 2023, N313.4 billion out of the approved N355.8 billion for the elections had been disbursed by the government. INEC’s proposed budget for the 2023 general election, amounting to N305 billion, was outlined in the report, based on key activities identified in the approved Election Project Plan.
A breakdown of the budget revealed that the commission requested N159.7 billion for electoral operations, N117.3 billion for electoral technology, and N20.4 billion for electoral administrative costs. An additional N7.4 billion, equivalent to 2.5 percent of the overall budget, was earmarked for unforeseen electoral expenses.
The report highlighted that following constitutional guidelines, INEC submitted its budget proposal for the 2023 general election to the presidency, which then forwarded it to the National Assembly for approval.
“In consequence, the commission appeared before Senate and House Committees on INEC, as well as the Senate and House Appropriations Committee in a joint session, during which the INEC Chairman presented the expenditure layout of the budget and answered all questions and queries from Committee members,” the report stated.
It further noted that the National Assembly approved and appropriated the sum of N303.1 billion for the conduct of the 2023 general election. However, by January 2023, it became evident that the authorized sum would not be sufficient for the election’s conduct due to rising consumer price index, inflation rate, and foreign currency rate discrepancies.
