By JOHN ONAH, Abuja
The Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), has called on National Assembly to without delay, totally reject and throw out the provocative and insulting three hundred and five billion naira (N305b) INEC budgeted for the conduct of “2023 General Elections.
The National President of VATLAD, Comrade Igbini Emmanuel, who made this called in a statement made available to NATIONAL ACCORD on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the budget must be treated dead on arrival like direct primary”.
“Nigerians can’t continue to be taken for fools and their scare funds diverted to wastages by INEC in the name of conducting elections. No, please. Enough is enough of INEC”.
“We completely reject this N305b demanded by INEC.
Our general elections can be conducted in truly free and credible general elections in Nigeria without spending more than five billion naira and having INEC that claims to operate on full-time basis. INEC’s operations should be on part-time basis and the number of staff and offices be drastically cut down”.
VATLAD also demand that the National Assembly do totally reject the proposed four hundred billion naira budgeted for conduct of National Census as according to them, such attempt was not only insulting to the collective Intelligence of Nigerians but clearly aimed to misappropriate the scarce public funds needed to address other developmental needs of Nigerians.
“How can the Census Commission propose to conduct national census at time of full blown War declared on Nigeria by Terrorist and citizens are daily being killed and kidnapped for ransom”, he argued.
‘This four hundred billion naira should be diverted to budget meant for national security and healthcare to deal with the epidemics Nigerians are now confronted with”.
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