2019 POLLS BUDGET: Disparities forces Nat’l Assembly to summon INEC boss again

A meeting of the joint committee of the National Assembly on Thursday to consider the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) N189 billion supplementary budget for the conduct of the 2109 general election ended in deadlock.

To clarify disparities that warranted the development, the committee then re-invited the national chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to appear before it for further clarifications.

During the meeting on Thursday the joint committee was confronted with disparities between the N189 billion budget submitted by INEC and the N143 billion contained in the President’s letter to the National Assembly on the same subject.

After the committee was unable to reconcile the disparities, Yakubu, who was earlier at the meeting of the lawmakers on Wednesday, was re-invited to appear before the committee today (Friday) to make further clarifications on the details of the commission’s budget.

The development was announced by the chairman of the committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif, after a closed-door session of the joint committee.

It was learnt that during the closed door session of the committee meeting that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central) had wanted the committee to restrict itself to giving approval to the N189 billion requested by the INEC chairman, while another senator, Mohammed Hassan (PDP, Yobe South), on the contrary, asked the committee to consider the N143 billion request sent in by President Buhari in his letter to the National Assembly.

Announcing the outcome of the meeting Senator Nazif said, “As we are all aware, yesterday (Wednesday), we invited the Chairman of INEC, who was in the National Assembly and who addressed the House of Representatives as well as the Senate.

“And today, our duty and responsibility were to try to harmonise what transpired yesterday between both houses and ensure that we cross the “Ts’ and dot the Is.

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“The whole meeting was called consequent upon the letter of Mr President requesting supplementary budget and virement for the General Election of 2019.

“We have done what we needed to have done. And we have realised that there are a few differences. In view of that, it is the opinion of members of this joint committee that we invite the chairman of INEC for further clarifications tomorrow at 11 am.”

Assuring that the committee will make their decision public after meeting with Yakubu this Friday, Nazif added, “I want to use this opportunity to assure Nigerians that this joint committee is committed to ensuring credible, free and fair elections for 2019.”

Aisha Duku, who is his counterpart in the House of Representatives, said that she concurred with what the chairman said.

 

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