Why N/Assembly shelved resumption

The National Assembly has cancelled its earlier plan to reconvene and approve the 2019 elections budget this week, Daily Trust reports.

The lawmakers said they would not approve the elections fund request sent by President Muhammadu Buhari on July 17 in a rush.

The elections budget may have to wait until September 25 when the lawmakers reconvene from their annual recess, it was gathered.

This development is confounded by the alleged plot to impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki following his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), credible sources said.

The chairman of the Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmud Yakubu had at a meeting last week informed the National Assembly leadership that activities for 2019 elections were slated to begin on August 15 (tomorrow), but the commission needed funds to be able to meet up.

This suggests that non-approval of the elections fund any time soon would be a threat to the 2019 elections.

However, sources told Daily Trust yesterday that it would be difficult to approve Buhari’s request within a short period.

Why we can’t reconvene today

“Reconvening tomorrow (today) can’t happen, because it can’t achieve anything. What the president is asking for [virement] is very difficult to approve within a short period because it entails taking money from projects already appropriated for under the 2018 budget,” a source said.

Another source said “What the president is asking for is under constituency projects, which are under various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and you know you can’t remove anything from the projects under MDAs without engaging them.

“Had it been the president came under pure supplementary budget, it would have been a different thing. But to do the virement, you need all the ministries to come and agree and the committees also need to sit with the ministries,” the source who did not want to be named said.

“Legislators are in their constituencies, while some Muslims among them have gone on Hajj. If we sit tomorrow, we can’t achieve anything. It is a very complex situation,” he added.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Yussuf Suleimon Lasun was reported last week to have said that the House would reconvene to consider and approve the elections funds.

Senate spokesman Abdullahi Sabi (APC, Niger) could not be reached, but his House of Reps counterpart Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) told Daily Trust that the House was yet to agree on any date of emergency resumption to approve the elections budget.

Buhari had on July 17 requested the National Assembly to approve the sum of N242.445bn for INEC and relevant security agencies for the 2019 elections, out of which the sum of N164.1bn would be approved under virement/ supplementary proposal in the 2018 budget.

It was gathered that the National Assembly was ready to approve the N164.1bn under this year’s budget, while the balance would be appropriated for in next year’s budget.

“The most important thing to say is that INEC was invited to meet with the National Assembly leadership on how the proposed budget for the 2019 elections can be speedily considered and appropriated by the National Assembly.

We expect speedy passage – INEC

“We have been assured of speedy passage of the budget, perhaps as early as next week (this week),” INEC chairman said last week.

“We are now more energised, more reassured that our plans for the 2019 general elections are absolutely in progress. We have, from today, exactly 191 days to the opening of polling units by 8.am on Saturday, February 16, 2019.

“There are activities we have to undertake for a minimum of six months to the election day. Six months to election day kick-starts from the 15th of August. It means we have eight days to the commencement of these activities.

“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.

“I am sure you are aware this is the very first time in the history of our elections that the budget for elections in Nigeria is subjected to approval by the National Assembly in this way,” Yakubu had said.

Also, Sen Philip Aduda, one of the principal officers, said they might reconvene to consider both elections budget, noting that they would have to discuss and fix a date for that to ensure the supplementary budget passage.

Also last week, Senate President Bukola Saraki blamed the Executive arm for delaying the submission of the election budget, saying it was an attempt to push the blame to the National Assembly

Saraki said the Executive arm had between January and June to submit the elections funds request but did not do so until when the National Assembly was about to proceed on its annual recess.

He said the lawmakers would ensure smooth and successful 2019 elections.

Daily Trust also gathered that during the meeting between the National Assembly leadership and INEC last week, the two committees overseeing the commission in the Senate and the House of Representatives were mandated to meet with the INEC management to agree on the real amount the electoral umpire needs this year.

“The committees are to also fashion out how the fund could be mopped up from the approved budget and make recommendations to the two chambers. They’re supposed to submit their report between this week and next week.

“It is after the submission of the report that the National Assembly will activate the process of reconvening, if possible. So, this is one of the reasons the Senate can’t reconvene tomorrow (today),” he said.