Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the National Assembly is set to reconvene this week to consider the N242 billion 2019 election budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
This followed last week meeting of the leadership of the National Assembly with top management of the electoral body.
On July 24, 2018 both chambers of the National Assembly had adjourned till September 25 after security operatives laid siege to the residences of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, his deputy. Since then there have been tensions between the Legislative and Executive arms of government over the adjournment.
The Presidency had appealed to the National Assembly to cut short its two-month break to consider an approval for N242 billion budget estimates from the INEC for conduct of next year’s election, which is just six months away.
In a letter to the Senate President Bukola Saraki, dated July 17, 2018 Buhari had requested a total virement of N242,445,322,600 largely allocated to new projects ‘inserted’ in the 2018 budget by the National Assembly to offset part of the proposed cost of funding the 2019 general elections.
In the same token, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, had said the closure of parliament would lead to a shutdown of government.
Speaking with reporters after attending a meeting with Ahmad Lawan, Senate Majority Leader, and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Enang appealed to the leadership of the National Assembly to reconvene so that some of the requests the Executive sent could be considered.
Already, the Senate has been balkanised into Pro-Saraki and Pro-Buhari senators, as both sides have been enmeshed in fierce media war over the long break.
At an interface with the National Assembly leadership last week, INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu, revealed that there are activities the Commission will undertake from Wednesday, August 15, 2018 exactly six months to the General Election. He therefore, called for speedy consideration of the request.
Yakubu said: “We are now more energised, more reassured that our plans for the 2019 general elections are absolutely in progress.
“There are activities we have to undertake for a minimum of six months to the Election Day and six months to Election Day kick-starts from the 15th of August.
“We are confident that all the grey areas will be ironed out and as far as INEC is concerned, our own component of the cost of 2019 elections will be speedily appropriated by the National Assembly”.
But some commentators have raised the alarm over President Buhari’s late submission of the elections budget.
An observer, Kunle Ajibade, condemned the fire brigade approach of the Presidency in handling the matter.
He said: “The Commission fixed the date for the 2019 election as far back as March 2017. And released the schedule of activities for the election by January 2018. But it took the Presidency one year and four months to submit the election budget. To make matters worse, the President submitted it a week to adjournment of the National Assembly for annual recess and three weeks to when the Commission would kick-start activities for the election.
“And now you want the National Assembly to approve the budget within a week when you refuse to do your homework. A serious government that is proactive would not take 16 months to present an election budget. More so, the timetable of the legislative house is known to them”.
At a world press conference last week, Senate President Bukola Saraki, spoke in the same light when he blamed the Executive arm of government for late submission of the budget.
He wondered why the Executive could not present the proposal alongside the 2018 budget which President Buhari presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on November 7, 2017.
The nation’s Number Three Citizen, who doubles as Chairman of the National Assembly, also hinted that the Legislature may reconvene this week to consider the 2019 elections budget.
Saraki said: “On the issue of INEC request, it is amazing why nobody is asking. Is it the day that we were leaving that INEC realised that they had a budget? There was January, February, March, April, May, June. Nothing came from the Executive to say we need money for INEC until July when we were leaving. But be that as it may, we are ready to support the Executive at all times. And I will let something out: since we went on recess, even before these problems, both myself and Speaker of the House of Representatives, have met with the Chairman of INEC to tell us what the issues are. And this conversation has been going on. So, we will do all that is necessary. As I said, if it needs us coming back because we have not even committed it to committees yet. It just came as a letter we read on the floor. It still has to go to committee. Even with the support of our members, we will do that. And that was our plan that we wanted to do yesterday (Tuesday). But the condition was not conducive for us to hold the meeting. As we were walking in here, myself and the leadership (of the National Assembly), we said since we are here we have already sent for the INEC Chairman to come so that the meeting we could not hold yesterday (Tuesday), let us hold it immediately now. And if after discussing with him and there is need for us to reconvene so that we can send it to committee, we will do that. We want a free and credible election. But what we don’t like is where the wrong message is being sent out. Whereas we are talking about from July to now, Executive from last year, they knew there was going to be a budget. Why was it not included in the 2018 budget?
“After you submitted the 2018 budget, you had December, January, February, March, April, May, June. So to say today that National Assembly is the one that does not want election is not true. I want to assure you on that and any other matter that is important that needs to be addressed, we will do it”.
To others, the President’s request asking lawmakers to draw the source of funding the poll from constituency projects in the 2018 Appropriation Act, is yet another booby trap deliberately set to drag the elections into controversy.
Reacting to the development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the President of plotting to frustrate the smooth conduct of the 2019 general elections, owing to what it called his fears of losing.
The party said the President’s request to the National Assembly to vire N242 billion already approved for other projects in the 2018 budget to finance the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other agencies ahead of the elections is a booby trap deliberately set to drag the elections into a financial controversy in a bid to compromise the electoral process.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said the financial request of the President is capable of breeding confusion in the polity, if not well handled.
“The PDP invites Nigerians and the international community to note that this request is a deliberate plot to inject disagreements in the polity, cause confusion in the electoral system and set the stage for a political crisis capable of frustrating the conduct of the elections.
“Mr. President is aware that his request is in no way in consonant with constitutional provisions and extant rules guiding legislative virement of funds already meant for constituency development projects, yet he sent same to the National Assembly.
“If Mr. President meant well for the nation and had no ulterior motives, he should have sent a fresh supplementary budget to the National Assembly for whatever amount he seeks for INEC, instead of seeking for a controversial virement,” the statement read in part.
The PDP further urged Nigerians not to forget that it had always pointed out “series of signposts towards circumventing of our laws and extant regulations to achieve certain unpatriotic agenda including a possible self-succession plot, noting that “President Buhari must come to terms with the fact that Nigerians are eager for the 2019 general election and are not ready to be taken for a ride by any person.
The party also urged President Buhari to follow the rules and immediately submit a fresh supplementary budget or seek other legitimate ways and means, devoid of bottlenecks, to finance the election.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
