The Independent National Electoral Commission has earmarked
N1.4bn for the purchase of ballot boxes for the conduct of 2019 general
elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakub, said this during the 2016
budget defence session before members of the House of Representative Committee
on Electoral Matters and Political Parties Affairs on Monday in Abuja.
Yakub said that the commission intended to phase out the
collapsible transparent ballot boxes and replace them with plastic ones.
According to the INEC boss, there will be no need to use the
transparent ballot boxes during the 2019 general elections.
He said that the commission was confronted with the
inability of local manufacturers to deliver the required volume within the
stipulated timeframe for elections, much as it was willing to patronise locally
made products.
He said, “Sometimes, it is easier said that we have
manufacturers who have the capacity; but when you engage them, you realise that
we may not have such capacity for volumes and this is not only peculiar to
elections.
“Immediately you try to produce something locally, somebody
rushes to register a patent and claims ownership of that idea.
“Right now, we have litigations running into trillions of
naira by people who said the patent for smart card reader is theirs.
“And they may get favourable judgment that requires us to
pay some fantastic amount.
“So, while it is important for us to encourage our domestic
producers, we are also careful about that because some of the procurement items
are time bound.”
Yakubu, who did not mention the specific amount INEC would
need to conduct the 2019 general elections, said that the commission was
adopting strategic plans that would ensure a hitch-free exercise.
He said, “We wouldn’t like to guess an amount; so, we want
to go through this painstaking process of producing a strategic plan.
“I think it is better for us to do the proper thing so that
we approach the Executive and the National Assembly with a figure we can vouch
for.
“And once it is approved, we don’t come back to request
another supplementary figure.”
The INEC boss expressed concern that five resident electoral
commissioners would retire by March, bringing the total number of states
without RECs to 33.
Yakubu, who decried the high rate of attacks on INEC offices
and officials across the country, said that 24 INEC offices were burnt between
2015 and date.
He said that the commission would require a supplementary
budget to repair its stores in the zones to guarantee the protection of
electoral materials ahead of the 2019 general elections.
Yakubu also said that the commission had earmarked N500m for
the continuous voter registration across the country.
Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Aishatu Dukku
emphasised the need for the commission’s 2017 budget to reflect public
accountability and transparency.
She said, “Election management bodies face the formidable
challenge of ensuring that stakeholders have trust in the electoral process.
“The identification and adoption of best practices in
electoral framework and administration have placed countries under pressure to
introduce electoral reform measures.
“I am strongly advocating that this electoral reform
measures form part of the budget of INEC.
“It is important that the budget of INEC be made to show
widespread public accountability and transparency of the commission.”
0 Comments