INEC earmarks N12bn for PVCs, N500m for sanitisers ahead 2027 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) intends to spend N12.29 billion on the printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and N500 million on hand sanitisers as part of its N873.78 billion budget for the 2027 general elections.

The proposed expenditure also covers the production of voter cards under the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and other sensitive and non-sensitive materials required for the polls.

INEC presented the budget proposal on February 12 before the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters in Abuja.

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A breakdown of the estimates by our correspondent, showed that N12,292,700,300.26 is allocated specifically for the printing of PVCs for eligible Nigerians who register or update their details during the CVR.

The commission also budgeted N500 million for hand sanitiser, N359,884,000 for methylated spirit, and N450,242,000 for cotton wool and related materials, expenses tied to health, safety and polling-day operations.

INEC further proposed N1.25 billion for repairs and servicing of operational vehicles to enhance nationwide logistics, and N300 million for retreats for political parties as part of pre-election stakeholder engagement.

Presenting the proposal, Prof. Joash Amupitan, INEC Chairman, said preparations for the 2027 elections had already begun in line with statutory requirements.

Amupitan said the proposed N873.78 billion, submitted pursuant to Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, is broken into four major components: N375.75 billion for election operations; N92.31 billion for administrative costs; N209.21 billion for technology; and N154.90 billion for capital expenditure. An additional N41.61 billion was earmarked for miscellaneous expenses.

“The total proposed budget for the general election is the sum of N873,778,401,602.08,” he stated.

Under the technology component, INEC budgeted N1.215 billion for the Hybrid e-EC8A and Result Management System (RMS), N162.5 million for related upgrades, and N12.29 billion for the printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

Amupitan noted that most capital items were captured under the 2027 election budget, explaining the comparatively lower capital allocation in the commission’s 2026 statutory proposal.

“The reform of the Electoral Act will go by 2027. And so, it will go by 2027 and the preparation for that election has already started,” Amupitan said.

He underscored the importance of early funding for a nationwide electoral exercise of such magnitude.

“If you want to predict the future, it is necessary to create it early on time. That is the reason why, in the wisdom of the National Assembly, it was decided years back that the appropriation for the general election should be made 360 days before the date for the election,” he added.

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Simon Lalong, the Chairman of the committee, assured the commission that lawmakers would scrutinise the proposal and provide necessary legislative support.

“We’ll look into it. It is not INEC that will not determine the cost. The committee will look at the issue critically,” Lalong said.

The proposed N873.78 billion budget is expected to undergo detailed legislative review in the coming months as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.