INEC seeks stakeholders’ engagement to reduce costs of election

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu has decried the high cost of conducting elections in the country, saying the time has come when the nation must have a narrative on how to reduce the cost.

Prof. Yakubu also said that despite the commission being a creation of the constitution just like state Independent Electoral Commissions, INEC is carrying out both national and state electoral activities funded exclusively by the federal government.

He said the commission conducts the Presidential and National Assembly elections which are strictly federal in nature in addition to governorship and state assembly elections as well as elections in the six area councils in the FCT.

These activities, he said, are funded by the federal government, while the states contribute nothing to the electoral process and suggested that a percentage of funds from the federations account be reserved for electoral activities so that all stakeholders would be seen to be contributing to funding the elections.

Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters, Prof Yakubu said the nation no longer has an electoral cycle as elections are now conducted all year round.

He disclosed that before the midterm of the current government, the commission is already saddled with the conduct of 21 bye elections, nine of which have been conducted, while 12 others are still pending.

He listed the outstanding bye elections to include Anambra South Senatorial district left vacant as a result of the death of Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, Edo Central Senatorial district left vacant as a result of the resignation of the current Edo State governor, Monday Okpebholo and Ovia Federal constituency of Edo state left vacant as a result of the resignation of the current Edo state Deputy Governor, Denis Idahosa.

Others are Ibadan North federal constituency, Oyo State, Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency of Kaduna State and Garki/Babura federal constituency of Jigawa State all left vacant as a result of the death of the members.

The INEC boss suggested that the nation must find a way of dealing with issues of bye elections as a way of reducing the cost of conducting elections on the part of the commission.

He suggested that stakeholders should find a way of ensuring that when a legislator dies, his political party be made to nominate his replacement probably by presenting the person that came second during the party primary.

He said in the United States of America, the governor of the state where such a lawmaker dies nominates a candidate to complete the tenure.

He argued that while INEC has already conducted nine bye elections, with 12 more to follow, Ghana has conducted only three bye elections in four years.

He, however, gave a hint that paucity of funds could be responsible for the delay in conducting the bye elections even though the tenure of lawmakers is tied to a particular assembly.

Drawing attention to what looks like the frustration of the commission in conducting bye elections, he disclosed that in a particular state, the commission had to conduct bye election several times instead of once.

“We went to conduct a Senatorial bye election. When we returned from that, we had to go back because a member of the House of Representatives resigned to contest that election. So, we had to go back. When we concluded that election, we discovered that a member of the state assembly resigned to contest that seat and so, we had to go back to conduct another bye election.

“So, what we did when we had to conduct bye elections in Ebonyi and Yobe states last year was to appeal to the political parties to nominate fresh candidates and that was what they did.

“We know there are existing vacancies in the Senate and some members of the House may already be eying those seats.”