Spokesman of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi, gave assurances that the committee is determined to urgently complete work on the election budget
Fred Itua, Abuja
Twenty four hours after the National Assembly joint committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), slashed the budget proposal for the conduct of next year’s general elections from N189 billion to N143 billion, the commission has complied.
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Addressing newsmen at the end of a closed door meeting on the matter yesterday, chairman, National Assembly joint committee on Electoral Matters, Suleiman Nazif, confirmed that INEC has submitted a new budget document reflecting the sum of N143 billion as originally requested by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nazif said a sub-committee has been established to look into the details of the new budget submitted by the commission. The sub committee is expected to complete its assignment today, Wednesday.
Spokesman of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi, gave assurances that the committee is determined to urgently complete work on the election budget.
He denied allegations that the committee was deliberately slowing down the process to fustrate moves to make the National Assembly reconvene.
He said part of the reason for setting up the sub-committee was to speed up the legislative proceses for the election budget.
The joint committee had on Monday ended weeks of deadlock after it reached a decision to adopt President Muhammadu Buhari’s version of the election expenses put at N143 billion. It subsequently directed INEC to reduce its own version to reflect the wish of President Buhari.