85 INEC staff died last year Chairman

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu yesterday said 85 staff of the commission died last year.

Speaking when he appeared before the Senate Committee on INEC to defend the commission’s 2018 budget, Prof Yakubu lamented the increasing deaths among the commission’s staff.

He said some of the deaths recorded last year were natural, accidents and as a result of office pressure.

“We have instances where our staff slumped and died in office. We operate under enormous and tremendous pressure,” he said.

He said to address the challenge; the commission has made provision in this year’s budget for the establishment of sickbays in its offices to address medical needs of the staff.

He said there was no provision for the 2019 election in this year’s budget of the commission, saying” It is going to be in the supplementary budget. What we have here is the normal budget of the commission.”

The INEC chairman urged the National Assembly to expedite work on the amendment to the electoral act to enable the commission do the costing of the 2019 elections.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif assured the commission of Senate’s support for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in the country.