The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said the electoral umpire cannot be truly independent without financial autonomy, warning that its continued reliance on the normal budgetary process weakens operational independence and could threaten the delivery of free, fair and credible elections in 2027.
Amupitan spoke while delivering the keynote address at the public presentation of “Shadows: Protest Essays on Africa’s Most Consequential Country (1999–2023),” authored by THISDAY Managing Director, Eniola Bello, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja. He argued that while INEC remains central to the electoral process, delivering credible elections is a responsibility shared with political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations and Nigerians themselves.
“Can INEC truly be independent without financial autonomy? If we are serious about strengthening our institutions and conducting free, fair and credible elections, then financial autonomy is essential,” Amupitan said.
He noted that although the Constitution places INEC’s funding on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, experience has shown that this arrangement does not guarantee genuine independence, since the commission still passes through the standard appropriation process and depends on budgetary approvals from other institutions.
The INEC chairman pointed out that the commission’s mandate extends well beyond organising elections. It also registers voters and political parties, monitors political parties, maintains the national voter register, and supports local government polls in some respects. He said this broad scope of responsibility strengthens the case for greater operational and financial autonomy.
Amupitan stressed that strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process is a collective responsibility, not one that rests on INEC alone. He said the media, security agencies, civil society organisations and the Nigerian people all form part of the wider institutional framework that reflects the health of the country’s democracy.
Referencing international democratic principles, he recalled that the Inter-Parliamentary Council has long held that building democratic institutions is a shared duty of government, voters and organised political forces, adding that a free, fair, credible and peaceful 2027 election would require all these actors to work together.
On concerns over the appointment of INEC’s leadership, Amupitan said the Constitution already provides safeguards, since the President appoints the Chairman and National Commissioners in consultation with the Council of State, subject to Senate confirmation. He added that the real challenge often lies not with the law itself but with those who implement it, citing former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar, who had argued that Nigeria’s problem is less about replacing its Constitution than about faithfully upholding its spirit and that of the Electoral Act.
Amupitan described Bello’s two-volume publication, which spans more than 900 pages, as a significant contribution to Nigeria’s democratic discourse, tracing the country’s political evolution from the return to democratic rule in 1999 to 2023. He said the book offers valuable lessons as preparations intensify for the 2027 general election, noting that every electoral cycle presents an opportunity to improve on the last.
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