The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has earmarked N12.29 billion for the printing of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and N500 million for hand sanitisers as part of its proposed N873.78 billion budget for the 2027 general elections.
The commission presented the budget proposal on February 12 before the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Electoral Matters in Abuja, outlining projected costs for election operations, technology, logistics and administrative expenses.
According to a breakdown of the estimates, N12,292,700,300.26 is allocated specifically for printing PVCs for eligible Nigerians registering or updating their records under the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
INEC also budgeted N500 million for hand sanitisers, N359.88 million for methylated spirit, and N450.24 million for cotton wool and related materials. The commission said these expenses are tied to health, safety and polling-day operations.
Presenting the proposal, Prof. Joash Amupitan, INEC Chairman, said preparations for the 2027 elections had already commenced in line with statutory requirements under Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
He disclosed that the total proposed budget of N873,778,401,602.08 is divided into four major components:
- N375.75 billion for election operations
- N92.31 billion for administrative costs
- N209.21 billion for technology
- N154.90 billion for capital expenditure
An additional N41.61 billion was earmarked for miscellaneous expenses.
Under the technology component, INEC proposed N1.215 billion for the Hybrid e-EC8A and Result Management System (RMS), N162.5 million for related upgrades, and N12.29 billion for PVC printing.
The commission also set aside N1.25 billion for repairs and servicing of operational vehicles nationwide to strengthen logistics, as well as N300 million for retreats with political parties as part of pre-election stakeholder engagement.
Amupitan emphasised the importance of early appropriation for a nationwide exercise of such scale, noting that electoral reforms and preparations must begin well ahead of polling dates.
“If you want to predict the future, it is necessary to create it early on time,” he said, explaining that the National Assembly had previously mandated that funding for general elections be approved at least 360 days before the polls.
Simon Lalong, Chairman of the Joint Committee, assured lawmakers would critically review the proposal before approval.
The proposed N873.78 billion budget will undergo detailed legislative scrutiny in the coming months as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
