Expect electoral reforms before 2027 — INEC chairman

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has confirmed that all necessary amendments to the Electoral Act will be completed before the 2027 general elections. He made this known on Monday while speaking to journalists at the Presidential Villa in Abuja following the inauguration of two new National Commissioners by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Addressing recent speculation regarding his position, Professor Yakubu dismissed rumours of his removal from office, stating unequivocally that he remains the Chief Electoral Officer of the country. “I am still here,” he said, debunking the notion that he had been sacked.

The INEC Chairman explained that the Commission had conducted a comprehensive review of the 2023 general elections in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and produced 142 recommendations for electoral reform. He noted that eight of these recommendations require amendments to either the Electoral Act or the Constitution.

“We engaged with the stakeholders. We came up with 142 recommendations. Out of this 142, eight require constitutional or Electoral Act amendment, and we discussed this with members of the National Assembly,” he said. Yakubu emphasised that the commission is actively working with lawmakers to push through the required changes.

He disclosed that INEC recently held 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 organize 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,” he said.

Yakubu added that while further details on the reform process would be communicated by the National Assembly, INEC is satisfied with the level of collaboration and the pace at which lawmakers are addressing the reform agenda. “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,” he said.

He also confirmed that with the swearing-in of the new commissioners from the Southeast and Northwest, the Commission now has a full complement of national commissioners as required by law.