By Henry Umoru

ABUJA—THE Senate yesterday told the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that the world was expecting more credible elections from it.

It also made case for adequate funding  to enable the commission carry out its assignment as an independent body.

According to the Senate, the need to fund INEC became imperative because the electoral umpire remains one of the most important institutions in the country, since there can be no democracy without INEC.

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Speaking yesterday in Abuja when chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, led his directors on 2017 budget defence, chiarman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Sen. Ali Ndume, challenged the commission to ensure  it conducted credible elections in 2019.

He particularly called on  the commission’s chairman to surpass the achievements of his immediate predecessor, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

Ndume, who noted that the country could not afford a return to the past when irregularities trailed elections across the country, said the 2015 general elections conducted by Jega was globally acclaimed to be credible and the best of its kind in the history of the country.

He assured that the committee was willing to give the commission all the support it needed to meet the expectations of Nigerians in 2019 and beyond.

Defending the commission’s budget, Professor Mahmood Yakubu told the senators that N45 billion had been budgeted for its activities in 2017, against the N50,738,692,242.00 budgeted for last year.