BREAKING: INEC Chairman Announces Electoral Reforms Ahead of 2027 Elections

INEC Chairman Announces Electoral Reforms Ahead of 2027 Elections

 

 

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has announced that crucial amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act are expected to be finalized before the 2027 general elections.

 

Speaking to journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, Yakubu disclosed that the commission had reviewed the conduct of the 2023 elections and identified 142 areas for improvement, with eight requiring amendments to the Constitution or the Electoral Act.

 

INEC Acting Chairman, Labour Party leaders meet in Abuja

 

“We engaged with the stakeholders. We came up with 142 recommendations. Out of these, eight require constitutional or Electoral Act amendment, and we discussed this with members of the National Assembly,” he said.

 

Yakubu expressed satisfaction with the pace of legislative collaboration, stating that discussions with the National Assembly had been productive.

 

He also revealed that INEC had recently held a retreat in Lagos with members of the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Electoral Reform to chart a course for the necessary legislative changes.

 

Following the retreat, the National Assembly is expected to conduct a public hearing on the proposed amendments. “It’s after the public hearing that a new bill will, at the end of the day, be submitted to the President for assent,” Yakubu noted.

 

Amid speculation about his possible removal, the INEC chairman firmly dismissed the rumors, asserting his continued leadership of the commission. “As far as the law is concerned, and as far as I’m aware, I remain the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,” he stated.

 

Monday’s briefing followed the swearing-in of two new INEC National Commissioners by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Mallam Tukur Abdulrazaq Yusuf (Northwest) and Professor Sunday Nwambam Aja (Southeast) were appointed to fill vacancies in the commission, bringing INEC closer to its full statutory complement of 12 national commissioners.

 

“The commission is made up of a chairman and 12 national commissioners drawn on the basis of two commissioners per geopolitical zone,” Yakubu explained. He also acknowledged the recent loss of Commissioner Major General Modibbo Alkali (retd), describing the appointments as timely for INEC’s operations.

 

In addition to the INEC appointments, President Tinubu also swore in two members of the Code of Conduct Bureau: Ikpeme Kenneth Ndem from Cross River State and retired Justice Buba Ibrahim Nyaure from Taraba State.

 

With the reforms underway and INEC nearing full capacity, expectations are rising that the commission will deliver a more credible and efficient electoral process in 2027.