The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committees on Electoral Matters have okayed N143 billion as the workable budget for the 2019 polls.
Rising from a meeting at the National Assembly, the committee members, rejected the earlier version of N189.2b, a combination of the N143b and another N45.6b proposed to be vired from the 2019 budget.
The lawmakers said they would stick to only N143b.
The National Assembly Joint Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission adopted President Muhammadu Buhari’s N143b budget request for 2019 General Elections, as against the commission’s N189b request.
The chairman of the joint committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif, made this known after about 30 minutes’ joint session on Monday in Abuja.
He asked the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to appear before it on Tuesday by 1 p.m. to present its budget afresh to reflect N143b rather than the N189b earlier submitted.
“The joint committee has sat and deliberated the position to adopt the N143b as presented by Mr. President.
“It is also the wish of this committee that INEC re-present their budget of N143b as requested by Mr. President.
“INEC has the opportunity to re-prioritise, and this committee will be ready to receive their report tomorrow.
“The committee will be reconvening tomorrow by 1 ‘O’ clock so that we can consider the presentation by INEC,” he said.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Senate Committee on INEC on Aug. 16, queried the commission for presenting a budgetary proposal that was at variance with the one presented by the president for the polls.
The INEC chairman had presented a proposal of N189b to the Senate Committee on INEC and requested its approval at once.
NAN recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had, in a letter dated July 11, also requested the National Assembly to approve the sum of N189b for the 2019 General Elections.
However, he requested the National Assembly to approve N143.52b in the form of virement from the 2018 Budget.
He added that the balance of N45 billion would be included in the 2019 Budget.
However, INEC presented a budget of N189 billion, requesting that it be approved as a lump sum by the National Assembly.
.News Agency of Nigeria