The Independent National Electoral Commission has faced criticism after requesting ₦126 billion to fund its 2025 operations, a year without major elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, revealed the commission’s budget needs on Friday during a session with the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters at the National Assembly Complex.
He explained that the funds would support INEC’s activities in 2025 and early preparations for the 2027 general elections.
However, former Taraba State Senator Abubakar Yusuf, appearing on Channels TV’s Politics Today, expressed disapproval of the proposed budget, describing it as excessive. He questioned why such a significant sum is being allocated when no major elections are slated for the year.
Yusuf blamed INEC’s inefficiencies, particularly its management of political parties and the lack of credible primaries, for driving up costs and creating unnecessary legal disputes.
He emphasized the need for the commission to adopt stricter oversight of party activities to prevent financial waste.
“With full management, ₦126bn is too much because it is not an election year. Although we know costs have changed, but looking at it critically; if INEC should stamp their feet on managing the political parties, they do not need this much amount,” he stated.
The senator also criticized what he called the “envelope system” of budgeting, arguing that such practices lead to waste. “They are playing on the psychology of the government. They even talked about envelope and I have always been questioning this issue of envelope. How on earth would you budget before you plan? What is the requirement of INEC that they only be given an envelope? So long you budget before you plan, there would be an abuse of resources here and there.”
He further stressed that if political parties conducted primaries transparently and presented credible candidates, INEC’s costs would be significantly reduced.
“If parties are serious, standing on their feet and trying to do what is right, I am telling you, INEC will spend less money. I still insist that INEC must stand on its feet and make sure the primaries; what the political parties are presenting to INEC are subject to less litigation,” he added.
Yusuf also questioned INEC’s justification for its high budget, which included infrastructure development and other administrative costs for the 2027 elections.
He argued that budgeting two years ahead for an election was illogical and suggested it might be a strategy to secure excessive funding.
Shifting focus, Yusuf critiqued Nigeria’s approach to governance and fiscal responsibility, particularly in anti-corruption efforts. He accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of prioritizing prosecution and asset recovery over prevention, calling this approach ineffective.
“Right from 2003 when the EFCC Act was made, a lot of us have spoken about it. Go for protection, go for prevention, give priority to prevention so that people cannot have the capacity to loot money. But somehow it was not understood that way by the people who operated the EFCC. They went for prosecution and recovery. That is why up till now nothing much has been out of the $2.5bn, it is only $52m,” he said.
Yusuf criticized the management of recovered funds, particularly foreign-imposed conditions such as those linked to the Abacha loot.
He called for the funds to be deposited directly into Nigeria’s federation account without external interference.
“The recovered money is a federation money. It is not Federal Government money. It will go to the federation account,” he clarified.
He further described the involvement of international entities like the World Bank in overseeing the use of recovered funds as an affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty.
He attributed this to a lack of trust in the country’s governance systems.
Yusuf addressed rising insecurity, particularly in the northeast. He pointed to inadequate equipment, poor training, lack of motivation, and insufficient intelligence as factors undermining the military’s effectiveness.
He also lamented the absence of coordination between different military branches, stating that better collaboration between air and ground forces could enhance counterinsurgency operations.
