Electoral Committee Proposes 30-40% Salary Cuts For Legislators And Executive Members
The Joint Committee on Electoral Matters has put forward a proposal to reduce the salaries of legislators by 30% and those of executive members by 40% in a bid to cut government costs.
This proposal was made during an interactive session on Monday with the Judiciary and political parties, led by Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters. The session was part of the National Assembly’s review and amendment of the Electoral Act 2022.
In addition to salary cuts, political parties at the meeting suggested that all elections—presidential, National Assembly, governorship, and State Houses of Assembly—should be held on a single day. They argued that the current staggered election system is not cost-effective.
The parties also recommended linking continuous voter registration to the National Identity Number (NIN) to enhance security and reduce costs during voter registration.
Among the 35 proposals presented by the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) Chair during the three-day retreat, political parties insisted that the appointment of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman should no longer be handled by the executive. Instead, they proposed that the position should be advertised to interested candidates.
Senator Alli, the Chairman of the joint committee, promised further engagement with INEC and the Nigerian public to gather feedback and ensure smoother and more efficient elections in the future.
