By Tordue Salem
ABUJA—THE House of Representatives, yesterday, passed the N87.9 billion budget for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

N74.6 billion of the amount will go for the preparation of a fresh voters’ register and N15 billion for the preparation of the 2011 elections.

The drama that, however, trailed the process was whether the prospects of INEC being on the ‘first-line charge’ as inserted in 2010 Constitution would be implementable without a gazetted copy of the amended constitution.

Besides, the House suspended indefinitely the passage of the Anti_terrorism and Money Laundering bills.

Majority of the members murmured their disagreements with a part of the Money Laundering Bill that prescribes a censure on cash transactions involving N500, 000 and above.

Also yesterday, INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega said the enactment of the 2010 Electoral Act was necessary to ascertain the time it would issue the timetable and other guidelines for the 2011 general elections.

House passes INEC budget

President Goodluck Jonathan had while sending letters to the Senate and the House of Representatives, Monday, pleaded with them to pass the Bills. The Senate had passed the Bills on Tuesday, but the House decided to defer the passage of its version “until when it is appropriate”.

Over N15billion was proposed in 2009 as supplementary for the conduct of next year’s elections, while the Commission proposed N74billion for a “fresh voters’ register” this year.

The decision of the House was in defiance of an earlier warning by the INEC Chief that the budget must be passed before August 11, 2010, if the 2011 elections must be successful.

The Senate had passed over N87billion for the Commission, N2billion short of the original proposal by the presidency, on Tuesday.

Motion for the consideration of the budget was moved by the Leader of the House, Rep. Tunde Akogun, PDP, Akoko_Edo/Aiyegunle, Edo State.

The first to contribute to the motion as moved was the Minority Leader of the House, Rep. Muhammed Ali Ndume, who insisted that the proposal by INEC to buy 150,000 Transparent Collapsible Boxes at N3billion”, was too high and should be reviewed.

He noted that the INEC budget could not just be approved, for fear that a “thorough” dissection of the money bill would jeopardize the 2011 elections.

Rep. Terngu Tsegba, PDP, Gboko/Tarkaa, Benue State, in his argument, insisted that “in as much as a credible voters’ register is the bedrock of credible elections”, the House of Representatives in considering the money Bill, must be meticulous.

He stressed that in preparing the INEC estimates, the electoral umpire might have mixed up issues and put the Nigerian economy in jeopardy.

But Rep. Emmanuel Jime, Makurdi/Guma, Benue State, disagreed. He cautioned that “everybody is watching and waiting to see what the House will do today (yesterday), so our failure to push this budget through may be interpreted as negative.”

Reps Patrick Obahiagbon, ACN, Oredo, Edo State, and Aminu Shehu Shagari, PDP, Shagari, Sokoto; also warned that the budget must not be delayed. Obahiagbon who harped on Jega’s integrity, insisted that he be given a chance to prove himself.

Timetable depends on Electoral Act

However, a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Kayode Robert Idowu, said the commission awaited the enactment of the 2010 Electoral Act to ascertain the time it would issue the timetable and other guidelines for the 2011 general elections.

He said the clarification was to correct  reports that Professor Jega said the guidelines would be issued on or before the end of December.

The statement said: “What the Chairman did say was that preparations were on-going in anticipation of the Electoral Act, following which details of the timetable would be unfolded by the Commission.

“By the draft law, certification of the Voters Register should be concluded by December 9, in time for the elections expected to hold in January. The election timetable/guidelines are statutorily dependent on provisions of the Electoral Act, which is yet in the legislative mill.

“The Commission hereby reassures the public that immediately the Electoral Act which stipulates the time frame for the electoral process is signed into law by the President, it will issue the necessary timetable/guidelines for the upcoming elections.”