We’ll Save N290 million Combining Kogi’s Senatorial, Governorship Elections – INEC

We’ll Save N290 million Combining Kogi’s Senatorial, Governorship Elections – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says combining the governorship and senatorial elections in Kogi State would save the commission N290 million.

The INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the announcement on Tuesday, while giving his keynote address at a meeting with political parties.

He said the commission would spend about N10 million instead of N300 million that would have been spent for the senatorial re-run election.

Mr Yakubu further noted that the commission came to the conclusion on the spending when they were served a court order by appeal court that nullified the senatorial election of Kogi West.

He also said the commission will combine governorship polls in Bayelsa with the supplementary election in six places in Brass local government area.

”The purpose of this meeting is basically is to review our preparations for the Kogi/Bayelsa governorship elections as well as the Brass state constituency supplementary election in Bayelsa State, and the Kogi West rerun election by order of the election petition tribunal appeal in Kogi State.

”For Kogi West, (the whole senatorial district), the election tribunal nullified the election conducted on February 23 and ordered INEC to conduct a rerun election,

”By coincidence, the judgment of the election appeal tribunal came close to the governorship election, the commission decided to combine the governorship election with the Kogi West senatorial district election.

”As a stand-alone election, the senatorial district election in seven LGA would have cost the nation over N300 million. We have to get ad-hoc staff, transportation, accredit observers…

“But, because we are combining the elections, it is going to cost the nation less than N10 million instead of over N300 million. The commission decided to combine the election to save cost and for convenience.”

Backstory

INEC last week fixed November 16 for a fresh election in Kogi West Senatorial District. The election is seen mainly as a battle between Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It also fixed governorship elections for Bayelsa State. The elections will be held simultaneously in the two states.

Meanwhile, in his address, the Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council, Peter Ameh, assured the commission that governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa would be free and Fair.

He also urged political parties that both state elections should be conducted in the interest of the people.

Mr Ameh also called on all ‘stakeholders’ to work together with the commission in order to improve the electoral process in the country.