The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that inadequate funding could affect the logistics and security required for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Gatekeepers News reports that at the same time, Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has warned police officers against taking sides, colluding with political actors or harassing voters during the elections, saying officers found culpable would be investigated and punished.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, and Disu spoke in Owerri, Imo State, during the sixth Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers (CARSPO 2026), which focused on developing a roadmap for effective election security.
Amupitan said adequate financial resources were essential for INEC and security agencies to deploy personnel, electoral materials and other resources to local government areas, wards, registration areas and polling units across the country.
He noted that although INEC’s funding was constitutionally provided as a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the commission had extensive responsibilities, including conducting presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state House of Assembly elections, as well as voter and political party registration.
“Sometimes, it is not what you would like to do that you are able to do because of financial constraints. The system does make allocations of what is available and what is affordable at a particular time for the expenses and appropriation of the agencies, including the police and also including INEC,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman stressed that election security depended not only on maintaining public order but also on having adequate logistics to support the deployment of electoral personnel and materials.
He also highlighted the role of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in coordinating INEC and security agencies. According to Amupitan, the platform evolved from an arrangement established after the 2011 general elections in response to concerns over post-election violence.
He called on relevant authorities to provide INEC and security agencies with the resources required to discharge their responsibilities effectively ahead of the 2027 polls.
Police Warned Against Political Bias
Disu, meanwhile, said the Nigeria Police Force must remain neutral and professional throughout the electoral process, stressing that its responsibility was to protect citizens and enforce the law rather than influence political outcomes.
“Any officer who takes sides, harasses voters, colludes with political actors or abuses power during these elections will be investigated and punished,” the IGP said.
He said the police would remain firm against electoral violence while ensuring that officers operated within the law.
“We protect citizens and enforce the law. We do not decide political outcomes. We will be firm against violence, but always within the law,” Disu said.
He also directed officers deployed for election duties to understand the rules governing the use of force.
“Force must be a last resort, lawful and proportionate,” he added.
The IGP said the police would work closely with INEC and other security agencies to strengthen coordination before and during the elections.
“No agency secures an election alone; so we will hold joint exercises with INEC and sister agencies and set clear lines of command and communication before an incident, not after,” he said.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled to begin with the presidential and National Assembly polls on January 16, 2027, while governorship and state House of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
