The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday explained why it wants the N189.207 billion (being part of the N242billion budget for the 2019 general elections), approved for its use, this year by the National Assembly.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in a letter seeking for virement of N242 billion for the conduct of the elections, requested the National Assembly to appropriate N143billion for INEC this year.
In the said letter, read at both chambers of the National Assembly on the 17th of last month, President Buhari explained further that additional N45billion out of the INEC’s component of the N242billion, would be provided for in the 2019 budget estimates.
But appearing before the Senate Committee on INEC, Chairman of the electoral body, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, pleaded that the sum of N189billion proposed by the commission for conduct of the elections should be appropriated for it at once.
He made the position known sequel to an observation raised by a member of the committee, Senator Mohammed Hassan ( PDP Yobe South) on disparity between the N189billion proposed by the commission and N143billion requested for by the President in the N242billion virement seeking letter .
Responding to the committee’s inquiry, the INEC boss quickly clarified that there was no disparity in the commission’s budgetary proposal for 2019 elections and the request forwarded to that effect by the president.
According to him, while the President in the said letter broke INEC’s budgetary proposal for the 2019 elections into two by requesting for N143billion appropriation for it this year and additional N45billion next year, INEC, to be on sound financial footing for the elections, wants the entire N189billion to be appropriated for this year.
“Our proposed budget for the 2019 general elections submitted to the Presidency for is N189billion and that is our preference.
This is not to say that there is disparity between our proposal and the one forwarded on our behalf by the President, because if you add N143billion the President in the said letter requested for release to us this year, to the additional N45billion to be captured for us in the 2019 budget for the same purposes of conduct of the forthcoming general elections, it gives the same figure of N189billion”, he said.
Even when pressed further by other committee members like the Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye (APC Osun Central), Senator Atai Aidoko ( PDP Kogi East) and others, on which of the proposals to be appropriated for, the INEC boss , said “N189billion proposed by us is our preference.” Earlier, in his run down of the proposed election expenses, the INEC boss said out of the N189billion total estimate, N134.4billion is earmarked for election’s operational cost, N27.5billion for election’s technological cost, N22.6billion for Election Administrative cost and the balance of N4.64billion for miscellaneous expenses.
A critical look of the items under the N134billion earmarked for election operational cost, shows that printing of ballot papers alone will gulp N31billion.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has met relevant Committees of the National Assembly over the 2019 general elections budget.
The INEC chair further provided further explanations as to why there was increase in the 2019 general election budget, saying “budgets are put together putting into consideration the number of registered voters.” He stressed that there had been a 17.1 percent increase in the number of registered voters since the last general election.
“As at the 11th of August, the Commission had registered 12.1 million new voters.
if you add this to almost 70 million on the register before the 2015 general elections, we have well over 80 million registered voters as we speak, we have a 17.1 percent increase in the voter population over and above the register used it the 2015 general elections.” “The Commission is going to conduct elections into more constituencies in 2019 than the 2015 general elections with the FCT Area Council end of tenure elections coinciding with the general elections in 2019”, he said.
Professor Yakubu explained that “the Commission would be conducting elections into 1558 constituencies across the country.
We are conducting elections into 1 Presidential Constituency, 109 Senatorial, 360 Federal Constituencies, 991 State Constituencies, 29 State governorship elections, and for the first time the general election is coinciding with the Area Council Elections in the FCT so we are going to conduct 68 elections in the FCT in addition to elections in other constituencies.” The INEC Chairman also attributed the increase in the Commission’s election budget to the increased number of political parties since the last election and explained that producing ballot papers for 91 political parties as well as monitoring their conventions, Congresses and primaries would cost more.
“We had a little over 40 political parties in 2015 but as at today we have over 91 political parties in Nigeria and we are still considering applications from 140 associations for registration.
“If half of the political parties field candidates, we are going to process a total of 70,809 nomination forms for the election, if all the 91 political parties present candidates for all the constituencies we will process over 144,000 applications for the election.
So it is really a huge task for the Commission”.
Other reasons he said include: the increase in the cost of logistics, which include increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which was needed to fuel all the Commission’s vehicles, increase in exchange rate of foreign currencies as compared to 2015 and increase in the number of voting points due to increase in number of registered voters.
‘Meeting ends brouhaha’ Responding, both Chairmen of the of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif Gamawa and the Chairman, House Committee on Electoral and Political Matters, Hon.
Aishatu Jibril Dukku, assured that the National Assembly would remain focused and will continue to work towards the interest of Nigeria.
Specifically, Senator Nazif (PDP Bauchi North), said the ongoing interface between the committee and INEC officials over proposed budget for conduct of the 2019 elections, has put to rest the reconvening brouhaha or otherwise of the National Assembly over the commission’s budget for the elections.
The interface, according to him, continues today and tomorrow after which required report on it would be submitted to the Senate for approval.
Buhari commits to PVCs, card readers Meanwhile, the Presidency has President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to use of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and Card Readers in the 2019 general elections.
This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja.
He said it was imperative for the Presidency to set the records straight on the use of PVCs and card readers for the 2019 elections in view of what he referred to as “incorrect and misleading” reports regarding the status of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to incorrect and misleading reporting in several newspapers regarding the status of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
“The Presidency would like to set out the true status of the Bill.
The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was sent by the National Assembly to the Presidency at the end of June 2018, for assent.
“Following extensive consideration, the Presidency engaged with the National Assembly to raise concerns regarding errors and inconsistencies found in the submitted version.
Following this, the National Assembly, on July 24, 2018, met to review and correct the Bill.
“The Bill was given, on July 24, 2018, a “clause by clause consideration” by the Senate.
The Votes and Proceedings from the Senate on July 24, 2018, attest to this.
The Senate resolved to rescind its decision on a number of clauses included in the version they had earlier sent for consideration by the President, and to reconsider these clauses.
“According to the Senate Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday July 24, 2018: “The Senate: … notes that in the course of final cleaning of the Bill as passed, some provisions were found to negate the essence of the amendment; [and] Resolves to: Rescind its decision on Clauses 3,5,8,11(2), 13(b), 14 (4), 15(3), 18,21,23,24,28,32 and 38 of the Bill as passed, and recommit same to Committee of the whole for reconsideration and passage.” “The re-considered Bill was passed by the Senate on July 24, 2018 the same day that plenary was adjourned to September 25, 2018.
The revised Version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, with corrections by the National Assembly, and dated the 2nd of August, 2018, was received by the Presidency on the 3rd of August, 2018.
The President has 30 days from the date of receipt, to assent to or decline the Bill.
The Bill is therefore still under consideration by the Presidency.
“The allegations that the President declined assent to the Bill because of objections to the use of card readers are wild and baseless.
President Buhari did not and has never raised any objections to the use of Card Readers for elections in Nigeria.
On the contrary he has always been a passionate advocate for the use of PVCs and Card Readers in elections in Nigeria, mindful of the role that Card Readers and PVCs played in the election that brought him into office.
And he has repeatedly made this clear, and praised these technologies.
“Speaking at the State House on May 28, 2018, while hosting the Judiciary to the customary breaking of the Ramadan Fast, he said: “I tried [running for President] three times, and ended up in court three times.
The fourth time, I eventually made it, thanks to God and thanks to technology.
These Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and Card Readers, they’re fantastic.
Those who went to their polling booths in their constituencies, and put in their votes, their votes counted.
Before, votes were disregarded, [results] were just written, and there was nothing you could do before the [Judiciary] to prove your case.
But now with technology, it has been made easy.
That is why I keep on appealing to the Governors, to please do voter education.
Tell the people that their Voters Card is their national card, so to speak.
Let them vote anybody they want across ethnicity and religion.
I’m begging the Governors to please continue to do voter education, so that people will take their Permanent Voters Cards seriously, and make sure they don’t lose them.” “None of these clauses reviewed and revised by the National Assembly in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018 relates to the issue of electronic voting or to the use of Card Readers.
The President also did not raise any objections whatsoever to the use of Card Readers, contrary to the stories being maliciously peddled by sections of the media and on the Internet.”
