From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Among the agencies, parastatals, and ministries that appeared before the separate and or joint committees of the National Assembly to defend their 2025 annual appropriation, the presentation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was one of those that generated controversies the more.
The other agencies whose appearances shared similar attention and created an almost equal commotion like that of the electoral umpire at the ongoing budget defence, include that of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun, whose presentation forced a senator from Ebonyi State, Peter Onyeka Nwebonyi, to storm out of the session, and Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) who was allegedly misrepresented in the media.
The demand by the electoral commission for an increased budgetary allocation raised concerns among many Nigerians.
The Chairman of the electoral commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had stirred the hornet nest, rejecting, as grossly insufficient, N40 billion budgetary envelope allocation given to the commission and requesting for a whooping sum of N126 billion.
Yakubu had, during his presentation warned that the N40 billion proposed by the Federal Government as INEC’s budget for 2025 annual appropriation would not even be enough to fund its operations and activities for the fiscal year, insisting that the fund would not be sufficient for its recurrent expenditure let alone cover one-third of its projected expenditures in 2025.
In his explanation, Yakubu claimed that apart from the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election and the bye-elections in 21 constituencies scheduled to be held this year, personnel costs alone, on account of the new minimum wage, will gulp the entire N40 billion budgetary envelopes.
Yakubu did not stop at that, he went further to enumerate the line items that would gulp the insufficient budget, informing the lawmakers that; “the reasons we demand something to be done about the budget is that the N40 billion did not take into account the activities particularly elections that we are going to conduct in 2025 or make substantial preparations for the elections this year.
“By enumerating them, we have already released the timetable for the Anambra State governorship election. Party primaries for the poll will begin in the next two months, precisely from March 20th, and end April 10th. Yet, there was no provision for the primaries in the budget. There will also be many other activities leading to that election scheduled for November this year.
“Secondly, the Area Council elections in the FCT will come up in February next year. There was no provision for that election in the budget. Although the election is not this year, virtually all the activities will have to be conducted this year, 2025, including the primaries to nominate candidates, in line with the law stipulating that political parties must nominate candidates not less than 180 days (six months) before the date fixed for the election.
“We also have two off-cycle governorship elections holding next year, Ekiti and Osun States. Activities for the two elections will start this year, including the conduct of party primaries in line with the constitution stipulating not less than 180 days before the date fixed for the elections.
“We have other electoral activities and the preparations for the 2027 general elections. I know that the law specifies that the funds for the preparation must be released at least one year ahead of the poll, forward planning requires that we fund some of the activities earlier rather than wait until the election year.
“For instance, we have not resumed the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and many Nigerians have come of voting age and those who could not register earlier would want to register,” he explained in defence of his request for the budget increase.
But many have questioned the rationale for the request, recalling whether such previous demands produced commensurate results with the delivery of transparent, credible, free, and fair elections. However, there are others who believe that the request was in line with the analogy that democracy is expensive.
According to some, the INEC’s budget of N306 billion to conduct the 2023 election was also tagged ‘not negotiable,’ stressing that the Chairman, loaded with inventions, and perhaps determined to create an electoral watershed in 2023, got all he asked for.
The budget, it could be recalled, facilitated the procurement of electoral information technologies like the Bimodal Voting Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and the invention of the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) portal.
In fact, to confirm its readiness to deliver a relatively transparent, free, and fair general election in 2023, the commission, in fairness to it, conducted a marvellous and commendable election during the 2020 Edo State off-cycle governorship poll.
It equally raised the curiosity of the Nigerian electorate with the relatively acceptable credible election it subsequently delivered during the off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State, raising the bar of hopes, aspirations, and expectations of many Nigerians very high of its readiness to conduct a possible watershed election during the 2023 general poll.
But, despite the huge fund given to the commission, in the reckoning of many Nigerians, an unintended concept still crept into the mix and instead of a straightforward operation as planned and advertised by the commission, things got convoluted.
In humility, the commission even admitted that there were hitches and glitches, which justifiably resulted in the doubts many Nigerians still have about the 2023 poll, and which made the huge budgetary allocation of about N306 billion to look as if it went down the drain.
Little wonder, in the conclusion of many Nigerians, INEC’s recent request for an increase in budgetary allocation at the National Assembly looks as if thunder is about to strike twice on the same spot. And, that is why, in the perception of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for example, the electoral umpire must have made such a request to compensate officials involved in electoral misconduct.
Describing the request for an increased fund as reward money, the opposition party had emphasised that INEC had no moral grounds to request such a large sum, adding that; “we often take things for granted in this country. Despite the promises of technological improvements, we all saw what happened during the presidential and gubernatorial elections.
“Now, the commission is asking for reward money. If this isn’t reward money, then I wonder what INEC intends to do with such a massive sum,” PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, had queried while reacting recently.
Aligning with its fellow opposition, Labour Party (LP), had mildly argued that the only reason Nigerians were raising an eyebrow was because of INEC’s inability to conduct generally acceptable, credible elections in recent times.
The party’s National Legal Adviser, Kehinde Edun, in his reaction, said: “INEC needs money to improve a lot of things. They also need to further equip some annexes. Everything should not be centralised. If you look at their offices in most states, they don’t seem to have any equipment that functions effectively. Most times, they rely on the headquarters.
“Again, it is not the money that is important; it is their efficiency and the credibility of our elections. Even if they demand double that amount, and we can see its manifestation in credible elections, I don’t think anyone will complain.
“The reason people are complaining that INEC is asking for too much is because we have not seen the results. So, let us give the commission the benefit of the doubt. Let them have the money they want, but we expect them to use it judiciously for better elections.
“This year alone, we have the Anambra governorship poll, which is a major election. We also have some by-elections. Whatever they are going to use the money to do may not specifically be for those elections happening now but in preparation towards 2027,” he noted, tactically backing the commission.
Apparently replying to the criticisms, the commission had taken time to explain and justify why it requested such a budget, noting that such line items like the resumption of the CVR would take place in over 8,800 centres nationwide to ensure that Nigerians who have come of age can register to vote.
The commission also explained that there will be replacement of damaged materials like the over 440 BVAS machines, ballot boxes, and voting cubicles lost to attacks and fires during past electoral exercises, revealing that insurance claims, amounting to N205 million, have been remitted to the federal treasury, leaving INEC to source for replacement funds.
It also explained that many of the over 860 facilities nationwide belonging to INEC, including its 774 local government and 37 state offices also require urgent rehabilitation.
In the words of its chairman; “the proposed budget is not just about conducting elections but ensuring that INEC’s role as an electoral commission is robustly supported. Our mandate extends beyond balloting to include voter registration, political party regulation, and constituency creation.”
Weighing in on the debate, founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, advocated, in a chat with Daily Sun, the inclusion of the very critical section of Justice Uwais Electoral Reform which mandates public participation in the appointment of both National and State Electoral Commissions officials to make them truly independent.
“I understand the negative perception of INEC in the public domain; however, one hopes that a better arsenal will definitely create the material conditions and enable free, fair, and transparent elections.
“Methinks that our canvas at these two crucial years before the 2027 general elections is for the National and State to consider as an urgent matter of national importance, the inclusion of that very critical section of Justice Uwais Electoral Reform which mandates public participation in appointment of both National and State Electoral Commissions (officials) to make them truly independent.
“This is the only missing link, which will enhance good electoral results; otherwise without independent Electoral Commissioners who have no loyalty or allegiance to political warlords, bandits of multi-colours will manifest,” he argued.
Going by the submission of the commission’s chairman during his budget defence session, the last is yet to be heard about future requests for funding. Hear him; “we need a big major conversation in this country. Nigeria has no election season any longer. The conduct of elections is becoming a big burden for the commission. We are going to propose very soon that we might consider taking some percentage from the federation account for the funding of elections. To say that INEC will fund elections only on the Federal Government’s share, will contribute to the situation we have now when we are presented with an envelope that will not deal with the situation,” he warned.