Six Weeks To Election: FG Yet To Approve N75bn INEC Budget

This story actually made the leading story of today's Saturday Punch copy. See story below.

Six weeks to this year’s general
elections, the Federal Government
has yet to appropriate the
remaining N75bn out of the
N120bn budgeted for the conduct
of the poll by the Independent
National Electoral Commission.

This, according to social commentators, lawyers, and other
concerned stakeholders is already
hampering the INEC’s preparations
for the much awaited elections.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that INEC
had estimated that it would need
N120bn to prepare for the
elections, but only N45bn was
appropriated by the Budget Office
of the Federation in 2014 budget,
leaving a shortfall of N75bn.

The House of Representatives had
recently raised concerns over the
general elections, saying that
adequate funding and security
would determine the credibility of
the polls.

The House Committee on Electoral
Matters said it had resolved to
summon the Chairman of INEC,
Prof. Attahiru Jega, to brief the
lawmakers on the preparedness of
the commission to conduct the poll.
Chairman of the committee, Mr.
Jerry Manwe, in an exclusive
interview with one of our
correspondents, said while Nigerians expected INEC to conduct credible polls, they were not asking questions about the funding available to the commission and
the “disturbing insecurity situation
in some parts of the country.”

Manwe said, “We expect a credible,
free and fair polls, but this will
again depend on funding of INEC
and security.

“My committee will summon Jega
to brief us on the INEC’s
preparation for the elections.

Jega has to come and meet with the
committee because there are
sensitive issues we have to look at,
one of them is insecurity.

“Funding and security play a role
in the credibility of any election.
So, we will have to look at all these
with the INEC chairman.”

Source:- Punch