2023: INEC sets 7-point agenda

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman

Following agitations by stakeholders over the Nigerian electoral system, the independent national electoral commission on Tuesday listed seven critical issues that must be addressed painstakingly.

The issues border on what the commission described as legislative and constitutional interventions.

The INEC national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee, Festus Okoye unveiled the issues before media practitioners and other experts during a review of 2019 elections put together by the commission.

The seven issues included if Nigeria should adopt full electronic voting and transmission of results or if the country should adopt a duality that allows for manual voting and electronic transmission of results.

The other major issue of the constitutional and legal framework for the registration and regulation of political parties; if the National Assembly should take a second look at the conditions for the deregulation of political parties as contained in section 22& (A)of the constitution.

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The commission also raised the possibility of shortening the timelines provided in section 285 of the constitution.

It queried if it would not be better and make for certainty in the electoral process to invest exclusive jurisdiction in the federal high court in the determination of all pre-election material.

The INEC said all the stakeholders should determine if section 68 and 75 of the electoral act should be amended to give the commission the power to review Declaration and Returns made that are contrary to the law and the constitution.

The commission equally said stakeholders across the country should take a position if we should have a separate electoral offences commission and the tribunal to handle the issue of arrest, investigation and prosecution of all electoral offences.