Election Monitor, a Civil Society Organisation(CSO), has warned that further delay in passage of budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) may lead to constitutional crisis.
Mr Abiodun Ajijola, the group’s National Coordinator, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said it would be counter-productive to wait until Sept. 25 to pass the budget for the 2019 Nigerian General Elections.
He said that it had become critical that the National Assembly urgently called off its recess and reconvene to ensure that there was a budget for next year’s election.
“Failure to reconvene the National Assembly to pass the INEC budget urgently and long before the official resumption is capable of plunging Nigeria into an avoidable and unnecessary constitutional crisis which must be completely avoided.
“Election Monitor calls on all senators and members of the Federal House of Representatives to put Nigeria first and put partisan politics in the back seat.
“Election Monitor commends the Senate Committee on INEC and House Committee on Electoral Matters for its current INEC budget review activities.
“However, the leadership of the National Assembly is expected to reconvene the legislature and pass INEC’s budget at the earliest possible date to ensure that the commission is able to effectively prepare for the 2019 general elections,’’ he said.
Ajijola said that it was regrettable that with just six months to the first set of elections, the budget for the elections had yet to be passed.
INEC had proposed a budget of N189.21billion for the conduct of the 2019 General elections.
The total budget waiting National Assembly approval is 242.45 billion with the difference going for security.
