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Presidency Blames Saraki for Late Presentation of INEC Budget

Published

8 years ago

August 20, 2018

Eric

The presidency on Sunday said President Muhammadu Buhari was not to blame for the seemingly late presentation of the budget of the electoral commission, INEC, for the 2019 election.

Rather, the presidency said, in a statement by presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu, Senate President Bukola Saraki was to blame.

Mr Shehu’s statement is the latest in the accusations and counter-accusations between it and Mr Saraki since the latter defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The INEC budget for 2019 elections was submitted last month by Mr Buhari to the National Assembly. The budget is yet to be passed by the lawmakers amidst allegations INEC had submitted the budget to the presidency since February.

In his statement, Mr Shehu said it was not true that INEC submitted the budget to the presidency in February. He, however, refused to disclose what month the electoral commission submitted its budget to the presidency.

“It is not true that INEC submitted their draft budget to the presidency in February. No, it came much later but even then, this is not the real issue,” he said.

Read Mr Shehu’s full statement below.

The Presidency wishes to respond to the false to accusations by Senator Bukola Saraki who alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari is to blame for the delay in approving the supplementary budget for INEC.

On the contrary, the Senate President should look into the mirror and what he will see is his own face. He is solely to be held responsible for deliberately driving the nation to this cliff edge as far as the preparations for next elections are concerned.

It is not true that INEC submitted their draft budget to the presidency in February. No, it came much later but even then, this is not the real issue.

The fact that their proposals came well after the president had laid his budget for the year 2018 before the National Assembly meant that their own will be sent as supplementary budget. This was clearly stated to them by the Minister of Budget and National Planning.

A supplementary budget cannot be submitted until the main budget is passed, and so the delay in passing the main budget was the reason for the delay. The National Assembly passed the 2018 budget seven months after the document was submitted to the National Assembly by President Buhari.

Unless someone has forgotten, the budget was submitted to the National Assembly and it took the Saraki-led National Assembly seven months to release it. There is no way President Buhari could have submitted a supplementary budget while the main one was still pending. It is never done. Because Saraki did not return the main budget, we could not have submitted the supplementary one.

After the long delays, the president was pained to sign the much distorted, butchered and debauched document. In giving his assent, President Buhari said that he was compelled to sign the budget so as not to keep the economy continuously on a standstill.

In his words: “When I submitted the 2018 Budget proposals to the National Assembly on 7th November 2017, I had hoped that the usual legislative review process would be quick, so as to move Nigeria towards a predictable January-December financial year.”

It is also worthy of note that this is the first time in Nigeria’s history that a government would bring together the cost of an election in one budget, with each agency involved invited to defend their portion of the budget before the National Assembly.

It is all part of the transparency that this government is known for. In the past, governments would approve INEC budgets and funding without a breakdown, often using ways and means to fund it, not so under President Buhari.

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Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

2 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

4 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.

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Shiites Protest in Kano over Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Eric

Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, on Sunday, took to the streets of Kano metropolis to protest the killing of the Supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following a joint attack by the US-Israel on Saturday.

The demonstrators, who are simply known as Shiites, trooped out in their numbers at about 2.30pm in and trekked from the Fegge Central Mosque the Islamic Movement headquarters situated at Kofar Waika in the State capital.

The demonstration, adjudged peaceful, lasted for about two hours, terminating after 4.00pm.

The demonstration was followed by speeches by their scholars that spoke about the state of affairs in the Middle East and its implications on the rest of the world. A special prayer was also offered seeking Allahs intervention for the people of Iran.

The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abudulhi Haruna Kiyawa, resisted attempts to persuade hims for official reaction to the demonstration.