2027: How Delay in Legal Reforms May Affect Preparation — INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged the National Assembly to expedite work on amendments to Nigeria’s electoral legal reforms.
PulseNets learnt that the call was made in Abuja on Thursday by the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, when he hosted Barry Andrews, Head of the European Union, EU, Election Observation Follow-up Mission to Nigeria.
According to him, timely passage of the new legislation remains critical to the commission’s early preparations for the next general elections.
Yakubu told PulseNets that “delays or uncertainties around the legal framework have the potential to unsettle the work of the commission as elections draw nearer.”
He disclosed that the commission has already reviewed the eight recommendations specifically directed at INEC in the EU Mission’s report on the 2023 general elections.
Yakubu explained that in 2019, the EU Mission had issued 30 recommendations, out of which 11 were directed at INEC, with three prioritised and eight general. He added that the other 15 recommendations — including five marked as priorities — required actions from institutions such as the executive, legislature, judiciary, political parties and relevant stakeholders.
The INEC boss reported that “the commission has carefully considered all eight recommendations addressed to us in your report. We have taken action on areas that only needed administrative measures, while also engaging with other institutions on cross-cutting recommendations. For those requiring legislative intervention, we await the National Assembly’s legal review.”
On his part, Andrews spoke to PulseNets, noting that the mission’s visit was meant to assess the level of implementation of the 2023 election recommendations.
He emphasised that “we are very pleased to see that significant progress has been made. We also recognise the challenges posed by constitutional and judicial reforms, as well as the time constraints affecting administrative changes.”
The EU official added that the team wanted to understand not only the successes achieved so far but also the hurdles still ahead, especially in the context of constitutional reforms.
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PulseNets obtained that both parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s democratic process through sustained reforms and collaboration.
