2019: Anxiety as NASS meets over N189bn election budget

There is palpable anxiety in the polity as the National Assembly joint Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) meets today, to continue deliberation on the contentious budget of the electoral umpire for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

The committee had earlier met for three consecutive days penultimate week, announcing to Nigerians through a statement issued by its Chairman, Senator Suleiman Nazif (PDP, Bauchi North), that it would meet today to decide on which of the two separate budget proposals to be approved.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, in his letter to the apex legislative assembly, requested the lawmakers to approve the sum of N143 billion out of the N189 billion INEC budgeted for the conduct of 2019 general elections.

According to him, the N143 billion should be appropriated for INEC this year through virement from the N578 billion additional votes the federal lawmakers inserted into the 2018 budget while the balance of N45.6 billion would be captured for INEC in the 2019 budget.

New Telegraph, August 27, 2018

 

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