This, the Independent Service Delivery Monitoring Group (ISDMG) and other election observer groups say could “jeopardise” adequate preparations for the 2019 poll.

In a communiqué issued at the end of a one-day round table on the election budget impasse, the groups urged the National Assembly to as a matter of national and public interest pass the INEC budget, just as it called for an end to “all forms of intrigues and politics associated with the budget”.

The communique was jointly signed by the ISDMG executive director, Chima  Amadi; Faith Nwadishi Centre for Transparency Advocacy; Abdul Mahmud, Public Interest Lawyers League; Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Center for Peace and Environmental Justice; Ezenwa Nwagwu Partners for Electoral Reforms and a host of other election observer groups.

N6 billion to feed Police

The group also described as “unfounded” the claims that INEC had budgeted the sum of six billion naira to feed policemen deployed for election duties.

“Such amount as the claim of ₦6 billion provision for feeding of policemen during the election period and N700 million for foreign observers are false as there   is no such provision in the budget at all.

"What the budget item has is ₦4.6 billion (exactly ₦4, 689,996,100.00) for feeding allowance paid to security and election personnel at N1, 000 per head for two days (2x 1000=2000) and is fully explained and justified in line 26 of the budget proposal.

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"We note that ₦1,000 is a token allowance per official for 2 elections (Presidential and NASS on February 16 and Gubernatorial and State Assembly and FCT Area Councils on 2nd March)

“It covers the 180,000 polling units and voting points, 8809 ward collation centers, and 1558 constituency collation centers involving over a million personnel for two elections including provisions for possible run-off elections.

"That Ad hoc staff alone is about 1.3m, and does not include INEC main staff, police, DSS, Civil Defence, Soldiers among others. This is not the first time it is done and is without prejudice to the duty tour allowance for all security personnel handled through their various agencies. Nigerians have forgotten that the immediate former Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had to defend a similar provision before the 2015 General Elections," the groups said.

Meanwhile, INEC has ruled out insinuations that the 2019 general elections may be postponed.