N189bn election budget: Anxiety as NASS joint committee meets again

After 10 days of recess for the just celebrated Eid- el – Kabir, the National Assembly Joint Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), will be meeting today amidst growing anxiety on which of the budgets for the 2019 general elections it will approve.
The committee had, despite meeting for three consecutive days penultimate week, announced to Nigerians through a statement issued by its Chairman, Senator Suleiman Nazif (PDP Bauchi North) that it will meet today to decide on which of the two budget proposals to be approved between the N143billion President Muhammadu Buhari requested for in a letter forwarded to NASS last month, and the N189billion INEC is requesting for at a go.
President Buhari in the said letter had explained to the National Assembly that out of the N189billion INEC budgeted for the conduct of 2019 general elections, N143billion should be appropriated for it this year through virement from the N578billion additional votes the federal lawmakers inserted into the budget, while the balance of N45.6bn would be captured for INEC in the 2019 budget.
But the electoral body at two different appearances before the committee penultimate week, pleaded that the entire N189billion should be approved for it at once by the National Assembly for smooth conduct of the 2019 general elections, leading to divisions among the lawmakers across party lines on which of the requests to be approved.
In a personally signed statement penultimate Saturday on today’s meeting, the committee chairman said, “sequel to the ongoing consideration of the Independent National Electoral Commission, 2019 General Election Budget by the joint committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, the general public is hereby informed that work on the Budget is in advanced stage and in line with mandate issued to the joint committee by the leadership of the National Assembly.
“Equally, the Joint Committee deliberated on all key attributes of the Budget while taking into cognisance the imperative urgency for the Budget to be ready in time for the 2019 General Election hence, necessitating sacrifice and selflessness from our Distinguished and Honourable Members.
“Furthermore, it is imperative to state here explicitly that, after audacious sessions with all critical stakeholders the joint Committee dissolved into executive structure and agreed to resume on 27th August, 2018, (after Sallah) to consider the Harmonized version of the Budget Report diligently.
“More so, the report of the joint committee will be made available for further and appropriate legislative action in earnest.” It would be recalled that the Committee at its last session on the budget penultimate Friday, which had the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma and INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu in attendance, couldn’t resolve on which of the requests to approve.
While its members belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) argued for the approval of N143bn requested for by President Buhari in his letter, their counterparts belonging to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) argued for approval of the entire N189billion INEC budgeted for the elections.
The dilemma of the lawmakers on which of the proposals to be approved was even worsened with the submission made by the Minister of Budget and National Planning who said discretion to that effect was with the committee members.
The minister who made the submission in response to questions fired at him by the committee members as regards authorization to that effect from the President, explained to them that though the N189billion requested for by INEC was the same amount the President wrote in the letter, but because of funding constraints, President Buhari decided to break approval for it into two fold by seeking virement for N143billion for INEC this year while the balance of N45.6billion would be taken care of in the 2019 budget .
“Mr President will have no objection to the National Assembly approving the entire N189billion INEC budget as long as it does not in anyway, lead to increase in the overall size of the 2018 budget,” Udoma said.
“If this is to be done, the N45.6billion the President in his letter proposed to be provided for in the 2019 budget would also have to be vired along with the N143billion from the N578billion fund appropriated for in the 2018 Budget by the National Assembly for the additional 1,403 projects included in the budget.
“Discretion on which of the requests to be approved by you now, is yours.
If you approve the N143 billion the President requested for, it is okay, and if you approve the entire N189billion for INEC this year, it is also alright.
“Any of the two is okay for the executive, except that if you approve the N189billion through virement, the N45.6 billion planned to be captured in the 2019 budget, would no longer be part of the budget estimates for that year.” Feelers from the committee members across party lines indicate that they still stand by their different positions taken last week.
While a PDP member who spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday said there is no way the committee will go out of its way to approve what is not requested for by the President, another APC lawmaker, said the push for approval of N189billion as requested by INEC would be made and insisted upon.