By AfrikTimes | Abuja
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan has made the case that the commission’s independence is only partial as long as it has to go through Nigeria’s regular budget process to access funds. This is an arrangement he argues leaves the electoral body more constrained than most Nigerians realize.
Speaking Thursday at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, during the public presentation of a new book by THISDAY Managing Director Eniola Bello’s Shadows: Protest Essays on Africa’s Most Consequential Country (1999–2023), Amupitan argued that genuine financial autonomy and not just constitutional funding provisions are what INEC needs to run credible elections in 2027 and beyond. His remarks were first reported by Vanguard.
Constitutional funding isn’t the same as autonomy
Amupitan’s core argument was a distinction many Nigerians may not appreciate. He maintained that while the Constitution funds INEC through the Consolidated Revenue Fund, that alone doesn’t insulate the commission from outside influence, because it still has to seek budgetary approval through the same appropriation process as every other government institution. He put the underlying question bluntly, asking whether INEC can really be considered independent without full control over its own finances, and argued that institutional strengthening and financial autonomy have to go hand in hand.
He noted that INEC’s responsibilities extend well beyond running elections; the commission also handles voter registration, monitors political parties, maintains the national voters’ register, and supports some local government elections. He also argued that this broad mandate makes the case for greater financial and operational independence even stronger.
Elections aren’t INEC’s job alone
Amupitan was careful to push back on the idea that election credibility rests solely with his commission. He argued that political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society groups, and ordinary citizens all share responsibility for how elections turn out and that the overall strength of Nigeria’s democracy reflects how well this wider network of institutions functions together, not INEC’s performance in isolation. He framed collaboration across all of these groups as essential if the 2027 general elections are to be free, fair, and peaceful.
On appointments: the law isn’t always the problem
Asked about concerns over how INEC’s leadership is appointed, Amupitan pointed out that the Constitution already builds in safeguards and the President appoints the chairman and national commissioners only in consultation with the Council of State, subject to Senate confirmation. But he acknowledged that safeguards on paper don’t guarantee good outcomes, since so much depends on how the people entrusted with the process actually apply it. He cited former Chief Justice Aloma Mukhtar’s view that Nigeria’s struggle has never really been a shortage of laws but a failure to honour the spirit behind the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
He closed by praising Bello’s book as a meaningful record of Nigeria’s democratic path from 1999 to 2023. He struck an optimistic note about the road to 2027, arguing that each election cycle leaves behind lessons that can sharpen the next one.
