Delay In INEC Budget May Lead To Constitutional Problems – Group

Group Warns Against Delay In Passing 2019 Election Budget

Further delay in passage of budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) may lead to constitutional crisis, Election Monitor, a Civil Society Organisation(CSO), has warned.

The group’s National Coordinator, Mr Abiodun Ajijola, in a statement today in Abuja, said it would be counter-productive to wait until Sept. 25 to pass the budget for the 2019 Nigerian General Elections.

He advised that the National Assembly urgently called off its recess and reconvene to ensure that there was a budget for next year’s election.

“Failure to reconvene the National Assembly to pass the INEC budget urgently and long before the official resumption is capable of plunging Nigeria into an avoidable and unnecessary constitutional crisis which must be completely avoided.

“Election Monitor calls on all senators and members of the Federal House of Representatives to put Nigeria first and put partisan politics in the back seat.

“Election Monitor commends the Senate Committee on INEC and House Committee on Electoral Matters for its current INEC budget review activities.

“However, the leadership of the National Assembly is expected to reconvene the legislature and pass INEC’s budget at the earliest possible date to ensure that the commission is able to effectively prepare for the 2019 general elections,’’ he said.

Ajijola said that it is embarrassing that six months to the first set of elections, the budget for the elections had yet to be passed.

Naija News however reports that the joint committee of the National Assembly is meeting with INEC to fine tune the details of the 2019 election budget after which the lawmakers are expected to reconvene and pass the budget.

INEC had proposed a budget of N189.21billion for the conduct of the 2019 General elections.

The total budget waiting National Assembly approval is 242.45 billion with the difference going for security.