Yakubu: Necessary Amendment Will Be Ready Before 2027, Says He Remains INEC Chair

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has assured Nigerians that all necessary amendments to the Electoral Act will be completed before the 2027 polls.

Yakubu also debunked insinuation in some quarters that he had been sacked, saying he remains the country’s Chief Electoral Officer.

The INEC chairman spoke while fielding questions from newsmen yesterday shortly after the inauguration of two INEC Commissioners by President Bola Tinubu at the Council Chamber, State House, Abuja.

According to him, the commission, alongside relevant stakeholders, had reviewed the 2023 general election and come up with 142 recommendations.

Yakubu stressed that out of the number, eight required electoral amendment.

He said the commission had been interfacing with the National Assembly and that two weeks ago, it had a retreat in Lagos with the joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on electoral reform.

“Thereafter, the National Assembly is going to organise a public hearing, and it’s after the public hearing that now a new bill will, at the end of the day, be submitted to the president for assent.

“So, we’re working with the National Assembly on electoral reform, but at this point, I’m not going to give you any more details. You will hear from the National Assembly whose responsibility it is, but we reviewed the 2023, general election on our own.

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

“So far so good, we are happy with our discussions with them, and we are also happy with the speed with which they want to proceed so that we’ll have some necessary amendments done to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027, general elections.”

Yakubu further said INEC now had the complete number of commissioners as required by law.

According to him, “We are here today, basically for the swearing-in of two national commissioners. As you are aware, the commission is made up of a chairman and 12 national commissioners drawn on the basis of two commissioners per geo-political zone.

“So vacancies existed for the North West and the South East, and the Senate has screened and confirmed the nominees, and Mr President today performed the swearing-in.

“So, we have almost the full compliment of commissioners of the commission. As we are aware also, about two weeks ago or so, we lost one of our commissioners, Major General Modibbo Alkali (rtd), may his soul rest in peace. So now, we have almost the full compliments of commissioners.”

Asked to comment again on the controversy about his office, he said he remained the Chief Electoral Officer of the country.

“I don’t think we need to waste time so much about this unnecessary speculation. As far as the law is concerned, and as far as I’m aware, I remain the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and under the Constitution, the Chief Electoral commissioner of the Federation, and under the Electoral Act, the returning officer for the presidential election,” he explained.

The two new INEC Commissioners are Mallam Tukur Abdulrazaq Yusuf, representing North-west, and Professor Sunday Nwambam Aja, from Ebonyi State, representing South-east.

The president also swore in two members of the Board of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). They were Ikpeme Kenneth Ndem, (Cross River State) and Hon. Justice Buba Ibrahim Nyaure (rtd), Taraba  State.