Disbursement of the bailout funds to states, for which Bayelsa state would get N1.285billion and Kogi, N50billion, few months before the gubernatorial polls may have put the two states under scrutiny, BDSUNDAY interactions with stakeholders have shown.
Specifically, some of the stakeholders are saying that disbursing huge sums of funds to the governments in transition as the gubernatorial polls come up in November and December for Kogi and Bayelsa, respectively as bailout funds for debts owed their staff, leave much to be desired.
Also, the constitutional breaches, occasioned by lack of the 13-member National Electoral Commissioners (NEC), with the chairman as provided in the electoral law, according to them, would lead to constitutional crisis as the tendency for some politicians to capitalise on the loophole is high.
Kenneth Odidika, legal practitioner, speaking on television programme, recently queried the action of President Muhammadu Buhari on the appointment of Amina Zakari as the acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Odidika was of the opinion that, unless the anomaly of the present two NECs against 13 as required by the law and appointment of Resident Electoral Commissioners in all the states of the federal and Abuja, the credibility of the elections would be questioned by politicians.
“According to the first schedule, section 14 of the law, INEC is supposed to be composed of 13 NECs, including the chairman, whose appointment is still subject of controversy and RECs in all the states of the federation. Two third of NEC is supposed to be formed before conducting a valid election, but that is lacking as at today.
“What it means is that the politicians are waiting for the elections before going to court so as to derail the transition, particularly for a candidate that may have lost the election. It is an avoidable crisis which the president has decided to enter into,” he said.
Some other analysts are worried that a state like Bayelsa, which enjoys sizeable amount of monthly allocations from the Federal Allocation and Accounts Committee (FAAC), which recently organised an investment forum to woo investors to the states, would be embarking on borrowing, rather than looking inwards to increase her Internally Generate Revenue (IGR).
They also wonder the rationale for the loan when the state does not owe its staff, a development; they say lay credence to their fears.
“Why should there be bailout fund to the state conducting gubernatorial elections? What happens if the sitting governor losses or feels he is not enjoying the support of his people? Your guess is as good as mine,” says a political analyst.
The analysts equally query why Kogi State should be the highest beneficiary of the loan when it claims it does not owe its workers more than one month.
They wonder why a state that prides itself according to some of the aides of Idris Wada, the governor, who appeared recently on a television programme, as spending over 80percent on recurrent expenditure, particularly, salaries to its workers, be availed such huge amount.
The development is currently generating controversy among the Igala elite who are the majority in terms of the population as expressed over the Igala Project platform.
The loan facility has continued to generate arguments among contributors on the platform, who are both Igalas at home and the Diaspora.
Some of the comments from the platform include: “Why is Kogi State getting N50.842 billion, the highest bailout when my governor, Captain Wada told us he is not owing Kogi Civil Servants?
“Much as these bailouts are desirable and considering the fact that they are loans that must be repaid no matter the tenor and interest rate, has anyone pondered to ask why Kogi State is collecting the highest? A whopping N50.8 billion translating to 15percent of the entire N338 billion is what Kogi alone is collecting. What implication does this have for the future of the state?”
John Omachonu
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