During a meeting with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja on June 28, 2024, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) head, revealed that the date of the Oath of Office for the Executive Elections or the inauguration for members of the National Assembly, and not the date of election, defines tenure.
This is one of the important provisions of the Electoral Act 2022,” Professor Mahmood Yakubu of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) told Vanguard. Two weeks subsequent to the most recent FCT Area Council elections, on Friday, February 25, 2022, the Act was put into effect.
Based on the new electoral Act (i.e., the Electoral Act 2022), which provides for a four-year tenure, the elected Chairmen and Councillors took their oaths of office and devotion four months later on 14th June 2022.
It follows that their term will end in June 2026. The date of the Oath of Office for executive elections or the date of inauguration for legislative chambers defines tenure, not the date of election, just to be clear.
According to Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who chimed in, no one who was elected to the offices of president, vice president, governor, deputy governor, senator, member, chairman, or councillor could use their official authority or collect their salary until they were officially sworn in or inaugurated into the National Assembly.