By Ovedhe Hezekiah-Warri
Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC has proposed the sum of N1.147 billion for the conduct of local government election in 2021.
Chairman of the Commission, Chief Mike Ogbodu who disclosed this while defending the 2021 budget proposal before the Delta State House of Assembly Committee on Establishment, Ethics and Privileges, chaired by Hon Innocent Anidi, said the election will be held early next year.
In a breakdown of the budget, Ogbodu said N900 million is proposed for the elections, while N247 million is for related activities, including legal matters, post election seminars and trainings.
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Briefing the House Committee members on the activities of the Commission in the 2020 fiscal year as well as its projections for 2021, Ogbodu said that the Commission is already putting measures in place towards achieving seamless local government election in the State.
He stated that the Commission is considering possible date early next year for the election, hence the need for the budget to be captured in the 2021 Appropriation law.
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The DSIEC boss said the N32.5 million capital limit given to the Commission for 2021 was inadequate.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Innocent Anidi, while commending DSIEC for its roles so far, urged the Commission to sustain the tempo during the forthcoming local government elections in the State.
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A member of the Committee, Hon Reuben Izeze urged the Commission to continue to uphold its integrity as an independent institution in the discharge of its duties. He also charged the officials to strive to maintain absolute independence of the Commission in its operations.
