National Assembly To Reconvene Next Week

The two-month recess of the National Assembly may be put on hold next week, due to the 2019 General Elections Budget of N242 billion pending before the lawmakers.

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, made this known in an interview with newsmen, after an executive session with the leadership of the National Assembly on Wednesday in Abuja.

While applauding the leadership of the National Assembly for calling the meeting, Mahmood said he had been assured of the supplementary budget may be passed “as early as next week”.

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

“We have been assured of speedy passage of the budget, perhaps as early as next week.

“N242 billion is the total amount proposed,” he said.

Mahmood further disclosed that the commission had concluded plans for the election, adding that, it was waiting for the necessary funding to commence implementation.

The 2019 elections are scheduled for February next year.

“We have from today, exactly 191 days to the opening of polling units at 8 a.m on Saturday the 16th of February, 2019.

“There are activities that we have to undertake for a minimum of six months to the election date.

“Six months to the election date kick starts from 15th of August, which means we have only eight days to the commencement of these activities.

“We are confident that with this meeting, all the grey areas will be ironed out and as we are concerned, our component of the cost of the election will be speedily appropriated by the National Assembly.

“This is the first time in the history of our election that the budget for the election will be subjected to approval by the National Assembly this way.

“We want to thank you for the reassurance that the commission will not be constrained in any way in the conduct of the election,” Mahmood added.

In his remarks, Senate President Bukola Saraki, said there was a need to know the details of budget in order to appropriate properly.

Members of the Executive have been calling on the National Assembly to suspend its recess and reconvene, so as to attend to pressing issues pending before them.

Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, had last week said the country risk a government shutdown if the legislatures fail to reconvene.