INEC chairman calls for financial autonomy

The Chairman of the Nigeria — Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, declared that INEC cannot be truly independent without financial autonomy. Speaking at the public presentation of a book by This Day Managing Director Eniola Bello at the Shehu Musa Yar Adua Centre in Abuja, Amupitan warned that reliance on the normal budgetary process weakens INEC's operational independence and could undermine efforts to deliver free, fair and credible elections in 2027. He argued that while the Constitution places INEC's funding on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, the commission remains subject to annual appropriations and budget approvals by other institutions, which limits genuine independence. Amupitan stressed that credible elections require collective responsibility from political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society and citizens. He also noted that the real challenge is often implementation of existing laws, not the laws themselves, citing former Chief Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar.