INEC To Test Run Electronic Voting In Anambra Governorship Election

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plan to use the Anambra governorship election in 2021 as a test run of the electronic voting.

Similarly, the commission expressed its readiness to kick start the Diaspora voting if only the Electoral Act is amended, just as the Senate made a plea for special remuneration for the commission’s staffers.

INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu announced this Wednesday while appearing before the Senator Kabiru Gaya-led Senate Committee on INEC.

The meeting was specifically to update the committee on INEC’s discussion with the Salaries and Wages Commission and other relevant agencies.

Addressing the committee on INEC’s 2021 Budget, Yakubu said the commission was encountering financial challenges despite being on first line charge.

He said INEC under his watch, was not comfortable with the slash of its 2019 budget to N40billion from N45.5 billion.

“The Commission cannot be independent unless it is financially independent. There are some activities that happen that are time-bound or bound by some specific provisions of the constitution that the Commission has to undertake.

“So, the fund was established to allow the Commission to discharge those responsibilities. It was established in 2010 but there was no cause to spend from it, and from the last five years, this Commission did not spend from it. But what has happened now is our budget for 2020 dropped to N40 billion from N45.5 billion in 2019. And as a result of the 10% COVID cut, it further dropped to N36 billion in the middle of the year when we had already made preparation for expenditure, and therefore, since that fund is made for the rainy days, I informed the committee that the rainy day has come. So we are taking part in the fund to balance our budget for this year,” the INEC boss said.