INEC chair defends N18bn supplementary budget, says there’re 11 bye-elections to conduct

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has explained how the electoral body intends to utilise the N18 billion in the 2023 supplementary budget.

Yakubu spoke on Wednesday when he appeared before the house of representatives committee on appropriations to defend the commission’s 2023 supplementary budget.

Yakubu said the expenditure for the three off-cycle polls in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states and bye-elections has been captured in the supplementary budget.

The INEC chairman clarified that the N18 billion in the budget for the commission is not solely for the conduct of elections, noting that a “substantial part” of it is for the personnel cost.

“You will recall that in April this year, there was a 40 percent increase in peculiar allowance of civil servants,” Yakubu said.

“It was not provided in our 2023 budget because the budget was passed in December last year.

“At the same time, there is another circular from the government dated February, where the duty tour allowance (DTA) and other consequential allowances were increased by the government. There is no provision in our statutory budget.

“We have over 15,000 staff and it is not easy to find the money to pay without a supplementary budget. So, we made a case to the government and we have been included.

“For the 16,614 staff of INEC, it is N10.6 billion and we have made provision for that.”

‘THERE WAS NO MONEY TO CONDUCT BYE-ELECTION’

Yakubu said the commission was not able to conduct some bye-elections because there was no budgetary provision for it.

“Many honourable members have asked us: ‘In the house of representatives vacancies have been declared. Why has INEC not conducted by-elections?’ There are no budgetary provisions for the conduct of these unforeseen and unbudgeted by-elections,” he said.

Yakubu said there are 11 vacancies — seven in the national assembly and four state assemblies — that INEC has to conduct by-elections to fill.

“Not many people in Nigeria will believe that within four months after the inauguration of the national and state assemblies, 11 vacancies have occurred. Eleven bye-elections in four months. Unfortunately, the majority coming from the house of representatives,” he said.

“There are five vacancies in the house of representatives. Two were caused by death and three were caused by the resignation of honourable members.

“We have vacancies in four state constituencies across the country and we have vacancies in two senatorial districts.

“And each time we conduct three senatorial bye-elections, it’s like conducting a governorship election because each state in Nigeria has only three senatorial districts.

“So we have to make provisions for the conduct of by-elections in 11 constituencies — five federal constituency, four state constituencies and two senatorial districts and for that, we have appropriation for N1.6 billion.”

The INEC chairman said he hopes that there will be no by-election again so that the commission can focus on the ones budgeted for.