Breaking: INEC Announces Only Thing Capable of Jeopardizing 2027 Election
- INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu raised alarm over what could disrupt preparations for the 2027 election
- The commission has reviewed all eight EU recommendations directed at it from the 2023 election report, taking administrative and cross-cutting actions while awaiting legislative reforms
- EU mission head Barry Andrews praised INEC’s progress and highlighted the focus on improving transparency in election result publication
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has urged the National Assembly to accelerate amendments to Nigeria’s electoral legal framework, citing the importance of early legislative action for the 2027 general election.
Yakubu made the call on Thursday, October 2, in Abuja while hosting Barry Andrews, head of the European Union (EU) election observation follow-up mission to Nigeria.
Source: Twitter
“Uncertainty over the legal framework for the election can unsettle the work of the commission as election draws nearer,” Yakubu said.
INEC reviews EU recommendations
The INEC chairman said the commission has considered all eight recommendations specifically addressed to it in the EU’s 2023 election report.
He recalled that the 2019 EU mission issued 30 recommendations, 11 of which were directed at INEC, three classified as priorities.
“In contrast, the EU’s 2023 report contained 23 recommendations, with eight directed at the commission. Only one of those was listed as a priority,” Yakubu added.
He noted that the remaining 15 recommendations, five of which were priorities, require action from other institutions, including the executive, legislature, judiciary, political parties, and other stakeholders.
Action being taken on administrative and cross-cutting recommendations
“The commission has carefully considered all the eight recommendations specifically addressed to us in your report.
“Action has been taken on aspects of the recommendations that only require administrative action to implement. Similarly, action is being taken on cross-cutting recommendations that require collective action between INEC and other bodies while waiting for the conclusion of the ongoing legal review by the National Assembly on recommendations that require legislative intervention," Yakubu said.
Yakubu stressed that recommendations from the EU and other observer groups have informed wide-ranging consultations during INEC’s post-election review, which contained 142 recommendations for electoral reform.
“As you are aware, election is a process governed by law. Many of your recommendations require the review of our electoral laws. For this reason, the commission has interfaced with our National Assembly, including a retreat with the joint committee on electoral matters,” he said.
EU mission seeks update on implementation
Source: UGC
Barry Andrews explained that the EU mission’s visit aimed to assess INEC’s progress in implementing recommendations from the 2023 general election.
“We are very happy to see that there has been significant progress against these recommendations,” he said.
Andrews added that the mission was particularly interested in measures INEC has taken to improve the transparency of result publication, especially in off-cycle governorship elections held after 2023.
Court orders arrest of INEC chairman
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun state, has issued a directive for the arrest of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, citing contempt and disobedience of court orders.
Justice Funmilola Demi-Ajayi, presiding over the case involving the Action Alliance and INEC, ruled that Professor Yakubu and the electoral body had erred by failing to comply with a previous judgment.
Source: Legit.ng
