The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it may spend at least $7.9 on each of the 73.5 million electorate in its register for the 2015 elections.
The amount was estimated at N93bn when converted to naira and multiplied by the numbers of registered voters.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stated this on Monday at a statekeholders forum organised by the Senate Committee on INEC, in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, Abuja and the United Kingdom Department for International Development.
He also hinted that the elections might be conducted either in January or February 2015 instead of April.
Jega said, “Our estimate is that the cost of election per voter, which is an international standard for viewing the cost of elections is coming down in Nigeria. We project that for the 2015 elections, this would come further down by almost $1 from $8.8 in 2011 to $7.9, representing almost a 10 per cent drop.
“This compares favourably with some other African countries. However, we are anxious about all our funding requirements being met well in advance of the 2015 general elections.”
He said that the $8 per voter spent by the country in the 2011 polls was normal.
According to Jega, Ghana during its last election, spent between $10 and $12 per voter while Kenya spent between $8 and $ 9 per voter.
He described funding as one of the challenges facing INEC as it prepares for the 2015 elections that would see 73.5 million Nigerians participating.
“In preparing for the forthcoming elections, one guiding principle for the commission has been to make elections more cost-effective and to give Nigerians better value for money,” the INEC chairman stated.
He noted that apart from funding challenges, there was the problem of insecurity which could affect the conduct of elections in some states in the North- East where insurgency was being currently experienced.
He said, “Unless security situation changes in the zone, the commission would not conduct elections in there.
“It is my hope that the challenges in the North-East will be resolved before 2015. If the security is such that we cannot do election, then we may need to fall back on the law to suspend it or postpone it.”
Jega also said that INEC would not conduct elections under a period of emergency.
He said, “The situation under a state of emergency is that you cannot conduct a free and fair election. Ideally, you cannot conduct election under a period of emergency.”
Jega added that one of the most depressing challenges of elections in Nigeria was that they were akin to a war.
He said, “Pre-election violence has led to the death of many politicians, their supporters and innocent citizens. Widespread intimidation of voters persists and organised thugs spread fear across communities in the build up to elections.
“In any case, elections in Nigeria are a winner-takes-all affair, while the loser loses everything akin to payment of reparations by an enemy defeated in a war. In fact, election security has become a lasting issue facing the management of elections in Nigeria.
“Several security threats now characterise the electoral process. These include physical attacks on INEC officials and facilities, attacks on security personnel on election duty, misuse of security orderlies by politicians, attacks on political opponents, cyber attacks targeting INEC’s databases, especially the voter register and violence during electioneering. Other threats are intimidation of voters, snatching and destruction of election materials, among others.
“These threats are now exacerbated by insecurity in some parts of the country, thereby making the conduct of elections in those parts even more insecure.”
The INEC chairman added that the attitude of the political class was also another problem giving the commission a major headache.
“We are concerned about this because even if the management of elections meets the highest standards, insofar as the contestants are unwilling to play by the rules, there will be grave problems,” he stated.
Jega said that apart from the key challenges, there were what he described as residual problems like the delay in the amendment to the 1999 Constitution and Electoral Act; the completion of the review of electoral constituencies and polling units and the prosecution of election offenders.
The INEC chief, who said that 200 electoral offenders had been prosecuted, added that the establishment of a body to handle electoral offences was imperative.
He said, “This remains a major sticking point in the work of the commission. We have repeatedly noted that the commission lacks the capacity to prosecute the huge number of offenders.
“We hope that our proposal for the establishment of an independent body to deal with electoral offences which is also in the report of the Election Reform Committee will materialise.”
The Chairman Senate Committee on INEC, Andy Ubah, said the committee was interested in suggestions on how “we can address the issue of Nigerians abroad who desire to contribute to the democratic development and participate in elections.”
He also suggested the idea of introducing e-voting and making adequate provisions for persons living with any form of disability to vote.
Members of different political parties and civil society organisations attended the stakeholders’ meeting.
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