INEC Says N1bn Not Enough for Outstanding Election – Chairman

Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday says the sum of N1 billion would not be enough for it to conduct outstanding elections next year.

He expressed his reservations while speaking at budget defence before the joint Committee of Senate and House of Representatives on INEC.

It could be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari made a presentation on the 2020 Budget on the floor of the National Assembly. In the budget estimate, Buhari presented the sum of N40B as statutory allocations for the Commission for recurrent and capital expenditures.

READ: Bayelsa Governorship Poll: We Will Not Tolerate Any Attack On Our Personnel – INEC Chairman

While noting that the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections were scheduled to be conducted next year, he also insisted that other supplementary elections might arise.

He also said that apart from increasing the allowance of his workers, he was determined to increase their wages in order to motivate them to rebuff inducement from desperate politicians.

The INEC boss disclosed to the Committee that about 205 staff of the Commission were placed on half salary following their investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) after the outcome of 2015 elections.

He, therefore, pleaded with the committee led by former Kano governor, Senator Kabiru Gaya, to push for the passage of the Electoral Offences Act into law for the take-off of the Electoral Offences Tribunal.

“On electoral offences, we don’t have the capacity to investigate, we can only collaborate with Police. Only recently, we received 16 case files from the Police. But we can’t prosecute. There is the pending Electoral Offences Act to facilitate the Electoral Offences tribunal, let the bill be passed so that all violators, including our staff can be prosecuted.”

READ: Bayelsa Governorship Poll: Expect More Defection from APC Soon, Dickson Assures Bayelsans

Senator Gaya also decried the decrepit shape of INEC state offices across the country.

The chief electoral chief said its allocation for maintenance of offices was often overstretched as a result of violence as he revealed that 16 of its offices at local councils and states were bombed during last general elections. “They aren’t administrative but collation centres.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *