Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has proposed about 808, 895, 545 million dollars, equivalent to 355 billion naira, for the 2023 general elections and the annual budget for the fiscal year.
INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the presentation to the Senate Committee on Appropriations upon invitation to present the budget to include it in the 2022 budget bill for passage by both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Already, 305 billion naira has been approved by the National Assembly to conduct the 2023 general election. However, INEC requested an additional 50 billion naira for the budget in the 2023 fiscal year.
According to Yakubu, the 305 billion naira elections budget differs from the electoral body’s 40 billion naira yearly budget.
In the 2023 budget submitted to the Senate Committee on INEC for consideration, 2.6 billion naira was earmarked for off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa. The elections for the three states will hold on November 11, 2023.
According to INEC, 2.6 billion naira will cater for provision for elections, referenda, and recalls expenses such as operation department cost covering, the printing of ballot papers, result sheets, the printing of forms and envelopes, arterials, and supplies, logistics expenses, honorarium for officials, supervision, RAC preparation, security/intervention support, among others.
In the 2023 budget, the agency will spend 50 million naira to buy firefighting equipment and motor vehicles. 150 million and 250 million naira will go into office repairs and residential buildings.
The INEC Boss noted that while they released 100 billion naira to the commission out of the total projected expenditure, it would not be enough for adequate preparation for 2023.
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