Be Restricted To Your Constitutional Mandate, Oshiomhole Advises INEC Chairman Over Hospital Request During Budget Defence. 

Senator Adams Oshiomhole has openly challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over a proposal that included plans for a hospital in Abuja. INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, on Thursday, presented the Commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the estimated cost of the 2027 elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.

He clarified that the N873.778 billion election budget is distinct from INEC’s N171 billion proposal for the 2026 fiscal year, which covers routine operations, including by-elections and off-cycle polls. According to Amupitan, the projected cost for the 2027 elections excludes a fresh request by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) seeking an upward review of allowances for corps members deployed as ad-hoc election staff.

Breaking down the proposed election budget approaching N1 trillion, the INEC chairman said it is structured into five major components: N379.748 billion for operational expenses; N92.317 billion for administrative costs; N209.206 billion for technology; N154.905 billion for capital expenditure; and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous items.

He noted that the proposal was prepared in compliance with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to submit its election budget at least one year before a general election.

On the 2026 fiscal framework, Amupitan revealed that the Ministry of Finance issued INEC a budget ceiling of N140 billion. However, the Commission is proposing N171 billion to meet its obligations. The breakdown includes N109 billion for personnel costs, N18.7 billion for overheads, N42.63 billion for election-related activities, and N1.4 billion for capital projects.

However, reacting to the proposal of a hospital in Abuja, former Edo State governor said there is no need for INEC to own a hospital.

“With profound respect, I do not think INEC needs a hospital in Abuja,” Oshiomhole said during the session. “You have offices in the 36 states. You mean if an INEC official in Benin is sick, he has to come to Abuja for treatment? Why do you have to have your own hospital, do you have INEC special disease? I don’t think so.”

His remarks drew murmurs in the chamber as he pressed further, urging the commission to focus strictly on its constitutional role.

“You should focus on your core mandate, which is to conduct free and credible elections,” he said. “Your core mandate is not medicine or healthcare, that is the mandate of the Ministry of Health.”

Oshiomhole argued that if INEC staff require improved medical care, the issue should be addressed through existing public health institutions rather than establishing a specialised facility.

“If INEC officials need quality healthcare in Abuja and you think you are not getting it, we can call the Ministry of Health,” he added. “INEC has to be restricted to its core mandate, not running hospitals. You don’t have that competence.”

Taking his argument further, the senator questioned how far the commission was willing to go if it ventured into healthcare provision.

“If an INEC official has a prostate problem, are you going to create a urologist? If an INEC child has a problem, are you going to create a paediatric centre? This is gross misplacement,” he said, urging the commission’s leadership to reconsider projects that fall outside its primary responsibilities.