INEC Urges National Assembly to Expedite Electoral Law Amendments

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the National Assembly to expedite action on amendments to Nigeria’s electoral legal framework.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja when he received Barry Andrews, Head of the European Union (EU) Election Observation Follow-up Mission to Nigeria.

Yakubu said an early passage of the amendments was vital to enable the commission adequately prepare for the next general election.

“Uncertainty over the legal framework for the election can unsettle the work of the commission as elections draw nearer,” the INEC boss stated.

He disclosed that the commission had reviewed the eight recommendations directed to it in the EU Election Observation Mission’s report on the 2023 general elections.

According to him, the 2019 EU report contained 30 recommendations, with 11 addressed specifically to INEC—three of which were prioritised. The remaining 15, he said, required actions from other arms of government, political parties, and stakeholders.

“The commission has carefully considered all eight recommendations specifically addressed to us in your report.

Action has been taken on those requiring only administrative measures, while we are collaborating with other institutions on the cross-cutting recommendations,” Yakubu explained.

He added that INEC was awaiting the conclusion of the National Assembly’s ongoing review to implement recommendations requiring legislative backing.

In his remarks, Andrews said the EU mission’s visit was to assess how far INEC had implemented the recommendations from the 2023 elections and to identify areas of progress and lingering challenges.

“We are very happy to see that there has been significant progress against these recommendations.

We recognise that there are certain time constraints, both in terms of judicial reform as well as administrative reform,” Andrews said.