LAGOS – The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the electoral body doesn’t have any respite as it has been busy all year round conducting one election or the other, and will continue till the next general elections, in 2027.
This was disclosed by the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the induction retreat for new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), held in Lagos on Monday.
In his remark, Yakubu said, “The reality of the work we do in INEC is that there’s no election season in Nigeria at all. Elections are held all-year round in addition to numerous electoral activities such as voter registration.
“Even today’s retreat is holding against the background of forthcoming governorship elections in Edo State in the next 81 days and Ondo State in the 137 days.
“In addition, there’re five pending bye-elections for Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa State and four State constituencies: Khana II of Rivers State, Bagwai/Shanono of Kano State, Zaria Kewaye of Kaduna State and Ganye of Adamawa State. These outstanding bye-elections bring the total of such elections to 14 since the inauguration of the national and state assemblies in June last year.
He added, “Looking forward, there are four major elections before the next General Election in 2027. The Anambra State Governorship election next year will be followed in 2026 by the Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections and, I must remind you in case you forget, the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Therefore, as we think, reflect and innovate for credible elections, we are also instantly implementing the reforms and innovations that we can introduce by administrative action. Since election is a process governed by law, we also plan to intensify our engagement with the National Assembly for activities that require legal reform.
“Since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly we have conducted 14 by-elections and we still have 5 by elections outstanding and by the time we approach the 2027 general elections in 2026 to do the Ekiti and Osun elections, the FCT area council will also be prepared for the election in 2026. There’s no more respite for us as we innovate, reflect, we review and we also implement.
On the state of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the Edo gubernatorial election, he said, “We had unfortunately flooding in our office in Edo State over 4,000 machines were affected. We deployed our technical staff and we only recovered 3,500 of those machines, and in this off-cycle election if we’re not able to recover the machines for Edo State, we’ll get additional support from neighbouring states.
“In terms of machines, be rest assured that we have enough. We’re going to recover assets from neighbouring countries to make sure we don’t suffer any encumbrances at all,” he said.
On the call for INEC to conduct local government elections, he said, “It’s a constitutional matter. The same section of the constitution that established INEC also established the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC). So it is good for people to do advocacy, but the constitution has to be amended for that to happen,” Yakubu said.
According to Yakubu, the format for today’s retreat is slightly modified. Instead of the general presentations by all Departments and Directorates at the Headquarters, we considered it more appropriate to limit the Departmental presentations while providing for discussions at the end of each presentation. I must also add that in making your contributions, let us maintain the spirit of retreat and not that of a seminar or workshop. This is also not a review meeting. We are done with these engagements and both the General Election and Review report will soon be made public.
He said, “As new RECs, we should focus on how we can acquaint ourselves more with the processes and procedures of the Commission. For the veterans, we should leverage on our privileged field experience to contribute on how to mitigate recurring challenges in the areas of pre-election and post-election litigations, operational issues especially in the area of logistics, improvement on voter education processes, issues of strategic communication and combating fake news, misinformation and disinformation as well as inclusivity in the electoral process, voter registration, allotting voters to polling units, the role of technology from pre-election activities to Election Day processes, political party issues mainly arising from leadership crisis and the management of party primaries, the recruitment and training of election duty officials, election security and our own code of conduct.
“In a well organised retreat such as this one, there is always something new to learn. Upon reflection, there is also new experience to share with colleagues. However, always bear in mind that the cardinal objective is improved service delivery,” Yakubu said.
In his welcome address, Professor Ayobami Salami, REC, Lagos State, expressed delight to welcome the newly appointed RECs.
He said, “Apart from being an induction retreat, this platform affords everyone an opportunity for continuous learning, growth, and collaboration. I have no scintilla of doubt in my mind, that this retreat will introduce us to shared experiences, new insights, and also acquaint us with or reinforce our knowledge of INEC’s values and culture; with the ultimate aim of enhancing our Election Management Processes.
“I’m therefore, profoundly grateful to the Commission and our developmental partner, Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI), for supporting this all important and timely retreat.
“My dear colleagues, you’ll surely agree with me, that electoral activities globally, especially in Nigeria, are big tasks that require uprightness, integrity and diligence.
“Therefore, the work of a REC is majorly to oversee and supervise the Commission’s activities in the states in accordance with the Commission’s guidelines and the Electoral Act.
“I urge all of us to take this retreat seriously, so that at the end of it, we would be able to deliver a transparent, credible and acceptable electoral process, devoid of bias and partisanship,” Salami stated.