CONFAB: INEC wanted N25billion for delegates election

Many had queried why INEC was not allowed to conduct delegates' election for the forthcoming National Conference. Thank God, we now have the answer as revealed by a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference, Mr. Tony I. Uranta. Mr. Uranta said money is at the centre of it.

His words:

But when government got our report, it went through it, and realised that the Electoral Act does not allow INEC, which is the only body empowered to carry out elections, to conduct elections outside of the political elections that have been designated to it; and that for it to now process this election, there would have to be alterations to the Electoral Act, which  we were not sure could be carried out even in the next one year or two knowing how slow our National Assembly can be on  critical issues.

You know how long it took for the Freedom of Information Bill to get passed. A bill that was sent in, in 1999 only got passed in 2007. Apart from that, government now asked INEC to budget what it will cost and INEC budgeted N25 billion.
Now if people are complaining of N7 billion  budgeted  for  this conference, can you imagine what they would have been saying if we were to have a N32 billion?

EFCC budgets N284m for prosecution of 17 ex-govs

Indications have emerged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has earmarked more than N284 million to prosecute suspected corrupt ex-governors.

It was reliably gathered that the commission will hire competent lawyers to handle the cases, with the hope that majority of them will be concluded before the end of the year.

The former governors being prosecuted include, Orji Kalu, Chimaroke Nnamadi, Attahiru Bafarawa, Adamu Abdullahi, Boni Haruna, Jolly Nyame, Michael Botmang, Saminu Turaki, Joshua Dariye, Ayo Fayose, Danjuma Goje, Akwe Doma, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Timipre Sylva and Rashidi Ladoja.

The country lost at least N350 billion to fraud allegedly committed by the suspects and their cronies, leaving the people to wallow in poverty.

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The Acting Head of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, opined that it was wrong for the public to hastily conclude that the commission had abandoned the cases, pointing out that criminal cases were not time-barred and that the matters were already before courts of competent jurisdiction.