The ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to earmark N135.22bn for post-election litigation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation on Tuesday in a statement described it as a troubling admission that Nigeria’s electoral process is being designed to fail before it even begins.
Dr. Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of AAN noted that this allocation stands in absolute and unjustifiable contrast to previous election cycles.
“According to INEC’s own Election Project Plan, the commission allocated approximately N2.104 billion in 2022 under its litigation and prosecution budget, and N3.087 billion in 2023 to defend post-2023 general election cases.
” The sudden jump to N135 billion is unprecedented and raises serious concerns about priorities, planning, and accountability within Nigeria’s electoral system,” Mamedu said.
He expressed concern that rather than addressing the root causes of electoral disputes, the government appears to be normalising them through public spending.
The organisation also highlighted that the scale of the proposed budget would make the electoral process excessively expensive, burden the courts, slow down other judicial processes, and create additional costs for the government, INEC, political parties, and citizens.
According to him, while post-election litigations are inevitable in a democracy, many could be avoided if the Electoral Act is strengthened.
“What we are seeing is a clear case of choosing to manage crisis instead of preventing them. At the centre of this failure is the handling of Nigeria’s electoral legal framework.
“The Electoral Act 2022, which governs how elections are conducted, had shown clear weaknesses during the 2023 elections, particularly around the lack of certainty in the electronic transmission of results and this lacuna should have been addressed through electoral amendment opportunity which was lost in the Electoral Act 2026 review process.
“We will recall that ActionAid Nigeria, alongside the Situation Room, IJAP, MOT!ON, and other civil society organisations and concerned Nigerians, raised concerns around the need for INEC and the government to demonstrate certainty, transparency, and accountability in our electoral process,” Mamedu said.
He noted that one of the most widely supported recommendations was to make the electronic transmission of results mandatory and real-time.
He said that such a provision would have ensured that results from polling units are transmitted immediately after verification, reducing human interference, limiting opportunities for manipulation during collation, and strengthening public trust.
He said, “These were practical, evidence-based solutions aimed at reducing disputes and restoring public confidence in our elections. The decision to ignore these recommendations and proceed with a legal framework that still allows ambiguity and opacity has consequences, and what we are seeing now is the result.”
Thr AAN boss further warned that budgeting such a significant amount for litigation reflects a reactive approach to governance, where preventable problems are allowed to occur and then managed at great public expense.
He said, “Beyond its implications for democracy, the N135 billion allocation represents a significant misplacement of national priorities. Nigerians are grappling with challenges in healthcare, insecurity, education, and basic services. Committing such funds to anticipated legal disputes raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to citizens’ welfare.”
The ActionAid Nigeria therefore demands that President Bola Tinubu immediately decline assent to the budget as currently proposed, and reassess the N135bn allocation to benefit the people.
“While recognising that some funding for post-election litigation is necessary, the current amount is excessive and disproportionate to historical experience.
“The excess funds should be reallocated to critical areas such as education, health, and strengthening electoral systems before the election, to ensure that litigation is adequately funded without undermining citizens’ welfare or placing unnecessary burdens on the judiciary,” Mamedu said.
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