The Benue State House of Assembly on Wednesday unanimously approved Governor Hyacinth Alia’s request for N6,644,778,900 to conduct the local government election slated for October 5, 2024.
However, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns over the justification for such a huge budget, especially considering the crisis within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, the lawmakers approved the supplementary budget estimate, which was presented by the governor in a letter read by Speaker Hyacinth Dajoh. However, the PDP has described the budget as “another chunk of money down the drain.”
Bemgba Iortyom, the immediate past Publicity Secretary of the Benue PDP, questioned the rationale behind spending over N6 billion on the local government election, given the crisis within the APC.
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“What is the justification for spending over N6 billion on local government election when the party, APC is embroiled in series of crisis?” he asked.
Iortyom further expressed concerns that the election may not hold, and even if it does, litigation is likely to be the end product. “Instead of wasting taxpayers’ money, Alia should have sanitized the local electoral process in the state by putting to rest the crisis bedeviling the APC in the state,” he said.
The PDP chieftain accused the Alia administration of recklessness and visionlessness, stating that the government has been breaking every record available in “recklessness, visionless, and has been breeding unprecedented maladministration.”
The approval of the supplementary budget has raised questions about the preparedness of the state government to conduct a free and fair local government election. As the election approaches, the opposition’s concerns highlight the need for transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
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