The Nation Newspaper

Tag: refund

  • Court to electoral body: refund nomination form fee

    An Edo State High Court has ordered the State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) to refund all the money collected from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates for nomination forms.

    The electoral body had collected as non-refundable deposit N100,000 for chairmanship candidates and N50,000 for councillorship candidates.

    Elections into the local councils have been scheduled to hold tomorrow.

    The PDP went to court to seek a declaration that Section 16(e) of the State Local Government Electoral Law 2012 and paragraph 5.1 of the guidelines issued by EDSIEC are unconstitutional, invalid, null and void.

    It also wants a declaration that the defendants have no power to add to the qualification and disqualification requirements for persons seeking to contest local government elections.

    Another relief sought by the PDP was a declaration that EDSIEC lacked the powers to screen and disqualify candidates for reasons not tenable under provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

    The party wants the court to grant a mandatory injunction directing EDSIEC to refund to all its candidates all the money collected as non-refundable deposits.

    Justice Nogi Imuokhuede granted all the reliefs sought by the PDP after listening to argument of both counsel.

    Attorney-General Henry Idahagbon kicked against the judgment.

    He said an injunction could not be granted on an act already committed.

    Idahagbon said they were making preparations to file an appeal against the judgment.

  • Yuguda to Fed Govt: refund our money spent on your projects

    Bauchi State Governor Isa Yuguda yesterday urged the Federal Government to refund the money the state spent on some federal projects in the state.

    The governor spoke in Bauchi when he hosted the Commissioner, Finance and Administration, of Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Mallam Ismailia Mu’azu Hassan, at the Government House.

    The federal commissioner was on an inspection tour of Federal Government projects in the state.

    Yuguda said efforts by his administration to recover the refund the state spent on federal projects have failed.

    The governor said it is disappointing that the Federal Government has not paid for some federal projects his administration executed five years ago for the Federal Government.

    He urged the Federal Government not to embark on new projects until the old ones are completed.

    Yuguda noted that the attitude of the central government towards the projects executed in the state amounted to a breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

    The governor said the development was discouraging because Bauchi was among the few states that have passed the Fiscal Responsibility Bill.

    He said: “We were the first state to pass the law in 2007, immediately we came on board. We also have the Due Process Office, which we also established immediately we came on board.

    “All these are to ensure a strict management of funds and provide the enabling environment for everyone to play the game according to the rules.

    “The Federal Government should also play its own part by practising what it preaches. This is because my administration has committed resources of the state in executing some of these people-oriented projects.”

    Hassan, who led the project monitoring team to inspect the Bauchi-Dass-Tafawa road rehabilitation, expressed disappointment that the contractor did not meet the completion date.

    He said the Chiba-Dass-Tafawa Balewa Road rehabilitation was awarded for N4.5 billion to popular construction firm, which has covered 43 of the 75 kilometre road.

    Saying the contractor would be summoned soon to explain why he was six months behind schedule; Hassan said the implication of not completed projects is that it would delay budget implementation.

    The team also inspected the Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrading Reactivation of Water Basin and Reticulation at Lariski and Gigyra as well as the Bauchi International airport.

    The commissioner then commended Bauchi State for signing the Fiscal Responsibility law saying the gesture showed commitment and seriousness on the part of the state government to promote prudence and transparency.

    “Along this line of seriousness and commitment by the state government, we urge for a closer cooperation between pour commission and the state government, to work together for the maintenance of fiscal disincline in our polity,” he said.