President Bola Tinubu on Monday swore in newly appointed National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and members of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), as the administration gears up for critical institutional reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The swearing-in ceremony, held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja just before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, saw the inauguration of Mallam Tukur Abdulrazaq Yusuf (North West) and Professor Sunday Nwambam Aja (Ebonyi, South East) as INEC Commissioners.
Also inaugurated were two new members of the Code of Conduct Bureau—Ikpeme Kenneth Ndem (Cross River) and retired Justice Buba Ibrahim Nyaure (Taraba).
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu disclosed that the Commission is actively working with the National Assembly on a series of electoral reforms.
These include proposed amendments to both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act, based on lessons from the 2023 general elections.
“Following our internal review and engagements with stakeholders, we submitted 142 recommendations to the National Assembly,” Yakubu said. “Out of these, eight require amendments to the Constitution or Electoral Act, and discussions with lawmakers on these have been very encouraging.”
He noted that INEC recently participated in a legislative retreat in Lagos with the joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Electoral Matters, aimed at fast-tracking reforms well ahead of the next general election cycle.
The electoral umpire, he added, is optimistic that a public hearing on the proposed reforms will be held soon, paving the way for a new electoral amendment bill to be transmitted to President Tinubu for assent.
While he declined to provide specifics on the nature of the amendments, Yakubu emphasised that announcements would be made by the National Assembly in due course.
Commenting on the status of the Commission’s leadership, the INEC Chairman dismissed recent media speculation about his purported removal from office.
“As far as the law is concerned, I remain the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Federation,” Yakubu stated firmly. “There is no ambiguity on that in either the Constitution or the Electoral Act.”
He further clarified that Monday’s swearing-in of the two new Commissioners now brings the INEC board closer to its full complement, noting that only one vacancy remains following the recent passing of retired Major General Abubakar Alkali.
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