Can INEC Account for 300n 2023 Election Spend? Peter Obi’s LP Probes

The February presidential election in Nigeria is one of the most controversial elections in Africa with several back and forth since the commencement of the election. The federal government of Nigeria led by former president Muhammadu Buhari approved a sum of 300 billion naira as requested by Yakubu, the chairman of the independent national electoral commission (INEC) to conduct a free and fair election.

However, with the pronouncement of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the election, and the perceived sham of election by some Nigerians left many tongues wagging including Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party. Apart from calling for the removal of Yakubu due to his perceived involvement in the election, there were accusations concerning the use of the approved fund.

LP calls for the interrogation of the 300 billion naira

The Labour Party demanded a forensic investigation into the expenditure of budgeted disbursements and donor funds received by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as the N300 billion of Nigerian taxpayers’ funds used for the 2023 general elections. The Director General of the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Otumba Akin Osuntokun, made this demand on behalf of the Labour Party and the council at a media briefing in Abuja. 

Obi argued he would spend only 50% of the fund to conduct election

Peter Obi, claimed that he could conduct a better election in Nigeria while spending less than 50 percent of what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) spent on the previous presidential and national assembly elections. He expressed his dissatisfaction with INEC’s performance and accused them of being unable to justify the large amount of money spent on the elections.

He said “If we say we are going to do it this way, let us do it that way. Like I said earlier, if I am in position and people see that in this country, I will be able to conduct the best election without Nigeria spending 50 percent of what Nigeria spent in that election—if actually, we spend 25 percent of that.”

Obi insists Nigerians should know the details of the disbursed fund

Peter Obi insists that Nigerians should have access to the details of how the funds were disbursed. He believes that citizens deserve to know this information, particularly in light of his claim that the 2023 general elections were the worst conducted in recent memory. 

Obi’s statement underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in the electoral process, as it allows the public to understand how public funds were utilized and whether they were effectively used to ensure a fair and credible election. He stated that “citizens deserve to know how the aforementioned funds were disbursed for what he called the “worst election conducted in recent memory”.