The newly released proposed 2026 budget revealed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was allocated N1 trillion, sparking suspicion from the general public.
The bone of contention, according to online reactions, remains that INEC is a tainted institution, given its long history of supervising subpar elections riddled with malpractice and rigging.
The N1 trillion budget given to the electoral commission did not instil confidence amongst Nigerians; it felt like a waste of public funds.
” Give 10% of the INEC budget to MTN, and they will run a smoother and more transparent election than that sh*t scam called INEC, an X user said.
Other comments raised suspicion and concerns about compromise, given the ruling party’s long history of controversial elections.
INEC has tried to clean up its image by appointing a new INEC chairman following the stepping down of Prof Mammoud Yakubu after the controversial 2023 general elections. The new INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, is tasked with cleaning the Augean stables and restoring Nigerians’ confidence in the electoral body.
Works and Defence Tops Budget’s List
The newly released 2026 budget featured a total budget for various sectors in 2026 ranging from trillions of naira to Billions. According to Budgit, Works and Defence topped the list with an annual budget of N3.4 trillion and N3.2 trillion, respectively.
Other sectors on the list include
- Education – N2.3 trillion
- Health & Social Welfare – N2.1 trillion
- Agriculture & Food Security – N1.4 trillion
- Police Affairs – N1.3 trillion
- Niger Delta – N1.3 trillion
- Power – N1.1 trillion
- INEC – N1 trillion
Proposed allocations exclude service-wide votes. Full list from the Budget Office here
