Jigawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mahmud Isa, has debunked the allegation that the commission in the state had collected the sum of N50 million as assistance from the state government during the extension period of PVC/CVR exercise.
Mr Isa stated this in reaction to the Daily Trust’s publication of August 28 in which the state Deputy Governor Ibrahim Hassan was quoted as claiming that the election empire in the state had received the sum of N50 million as assistance from the state government.
The INEC commissioner, in a statement on Tuesday, said that, “such statement from this important personality is capable of truncating the process of democracy in the country.”
He, therefore, called on all politicians in the state to desist from making unguarded statements capable of truncating democracy.
Mr Isa pointed out that since the commencement of the Continues Voters Registration in April of 2017 to date; the commission had been adequately funded.
Hence, according to him, there is no reason to lean on the state government or any organization for any form of logistic support.
“The INEC Jigawa state office wishes to state in clear terms that it has not received any amount of money from the state government during the extension period of PVC’s and continues voters registration in the state.
“The commission remain resolute in maintaining transparency, credibility, fairness in all its electoral duties that will meet national and international standard.
“We will continue to maintain our neutrality at all times as an independent electoral empire,” Mr Isa stressed.
He, however, noted that the state office held the state government in high esteem as a major stakeholder in election matters, “but we disagree with the comment of the deputy governor on finance.”
