The Senate has ratified the appointment of five Resident Electoral Commissioners proposed by President Bola Tinubu in March for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This confirmation came after the Senate received and reviewed a report from the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters during a plenary session on Wednesday. Senator Simon Lalong, representing the Committee, advocated for the Senate to endorse the nominations of five candidates as Resident Electoral Commissioners for INEC, all of whom successfully completed the screening process. The confirmed RECs include Umar Yusuf Garba from Kano State, Sa’ad Umar Idris from Bauchi State, Chukwuemeka C. Ibeziako from Anambra State, Umar Mukhtar from Borno State, and Dr. Johnson Alalibo Sinikiem from Bayelsa State.
On Monday, President Tinubu also administered the oath of office to two newly appointed INEC commissioners. Additionally, the President submitted a proposed ₦1.783 trillion statutory appropriation bill for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the Senate for review and approval for the 2025 fiscal year. In his message to the Senate on Wednesday, President Tinubu requested that the bill be considered promptly, emphasizing that its approval is essential for fostering an efficient and service-oriented administration for FCT residents. In response to this request, the Senate invoked Order 78 to permit the bill to undergo its second reading on the same day it was presented.
However, this expedited process faced criticism from opposition lawmaker Senator Abdul Ningi, who expressed concerns regarding the procedure outlined in Order 77 (3 and 4), highlighting that lawmakers had not received copies of the bill before the debate. Consequently, the Senate commenced discussions on the general principles of the FCT Statutory Appropriation Bill for the 2025 fiscal year.
During the discussion regarding the bill, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele articulated that the proposed legislation aims to authorize the allocation of ₦1,783,823,708,392.00 trillion from the FCT Administration’s Statutory Revenue Fund to support personnel, overhead, and capital expenditures for the period spanning from January 1 to December 31, 2025. The budget is detailed as follows: ₦150.35 billion designated for personnel expenses, ₦343.78 billion for overhead costs, and ₦1.29 trillion earmarked for capital initiatives.
Bamidele emphasized that the fundamental goal of this budget is to foster an effective and sustainable service-oriented administration, with a particular emphasis on the completion of ongoing projects that significantly enhance infrastructure and essential services in Abuja.
