The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmoud Yakubu on Friday, appeared before the joint Committee of the National Assembly on electoral matters, to clear all the supposed grey areas in the supplementary budget submitted for the 2019 general elections.
The INEC Chairman who was accompanied by Senator Udoma and Senator Ita Enang who is the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly matters, and other top officials of the Commission, where present to give clarifications on the disparities in the figures presented with that of the President.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu while making the correction, said the actual amount is N189.2billion and not N264billion as widely reported. He said:
“the commission requested for N189.2 billion, that is what the executive proposed to the National Assembly, so there are no discrepancies in the figures at all.”
“Secondly, also for the very first time in the history of our country, that citizens know the budget of the electoral commission, that budget has never been defended before the National Assembly, as citizens know line by line how much the commission proposed l, what the money is going to be spent on, I think I am very happy with this process.”
The INEC boss also said that there is no provision for election observers in the budget for the 2019 General Election.
“There is no line in the budget for international observers. What we are provided for are the kits, you know the jackets, caps, publication, that we give to international observers, the stickers that are fixed on their cars to be identified on Election Day.”
“This is the standard practice. Each country that organizes elections provide these facilities for those who monitor elections. But their accommodation, transportation will be born by various election monitoring groups and not by the Nigerian government.”
The INEC chairman also gave the assurance that elections will not be postponed. He said:
“there are no conditions under which elections should be postponed.”
“Under section 26 of the Electoral Act, the date is formed and fixed, February 16, 2019. We issued the timetable way in advance for the very first time in the history of our nation, citizens of Nigeria know when elections will take place one year in advance. It has never happen before.”
On the issue of voter registration and the number, he said:
“We have voters register of over 80 million citizens. As at Saturday last week the 11th of August, we have registered 12.1 million this will eventually be added to the 70 million voters that is already registered for the 2019 general elections.”
“We started the continuous voters registration exercise on 27th April 2017, so we have been, as provided for in our constitution, registering voters consistently in the last 16 months.”
“In response to appeal by Nigerians, we have created more centers for the registration but finally decided that we should suspended the process as provided for by the law, six months to the elections. But gain in response to appeal by Nigerians we have now extended to the end of the month.”
Senator Sulaiman Nazif chaired the joint Committee, as both Senator Ita Enang and Udoma Udoma led them for a passionate plea for the speedy passage of the budget, with a promise to judiciously use the monies for what they are meant for, as the letter from President Muhammadu Buhari promised for a successful implementation of the proposed budget.