The president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, says that the rules and guidelines for the 2023 general elections will be ready ten months before the elections.
The elections begin in February 2022, an indication that INEC plans to publish the guidelines before the end of April.
This is stated in the INEC Daily Bulletin issued this Tuesday.
Yakubu gave the hint when he received a delegation from the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Abuja.
The president of the INEC recalled that in 2019 the commission was limited by time due to the uncertainty that the electoral legal framework dragged on.
He said he saw the commission sign the regulations and guidelines on January 19, 2019, just weeks before the election.
“But we hope that this time we will sign the regulations and guidelines at least 10 months before the next general election, which is very good progress for us.”
Speaking more about the source of the commission’s power to develop the guidelines and regulations, the INEC president said that the commission was happy with the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Electoral Law Project.
“We already have a new electoral law, from which we began to work on the regulations and guidelines.
“The Electoral Act cannot say everything, so the National Assembly donates part of its power to the INEC to make Regulations and Guidelines and these Regulations and Guidelines have forms of subsidiary legislation.”
It also revealed that the INEC had practically finished the processes.
“Our Electoral Project Plan (EPP) is ready and about to be published, the Strategic Plan is already finished and published.
“We also publish and publish the Guidelines and send all three documents to interested parties and the general public next month.”
Earlier in his remarks, John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey congratulated INEC on the successes it has achieved in the areas where it made recommendations after the 2019 general election.
He recalled that the foundation was able to visit in 2019 and discussed with the INEC several things that were underway at that time
“One was the advancement of the Electoral Law, and I would like to congratulate you on the approval of the Electoral Law.
“Second, we discuss and encourage the creation of a new department on Gender and Inclusion, here at INEC and we congratulate you for the creation of this department and the successful implementation.
“The third thing we discussed was the creation of new voting units and I understand that these have also been completed and that they are well prepared for 2023.”
Mr. Palfrey explained that his mission on the commission was to learn more about INEC’s plans for the 2023 general elections.
“We also thank him for his leadership internationally and for his partnership with us as we seek to ensure government accountability and fight corruption in countries around the world, with a particular focus on Nigeria.”
Mr. Buhari signed the Electoral Law Amendment Bill on February 25.
The legislation was transmitted to the president on January 31 after it was reviewed by both houses of the National Assembly.
Buhari had initially rejected the bill after the National Assembly made direct primary compulsory for the country’s political parties.
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The president said the provision “violates the spirit of democracy.”
It was on that basis that the Senate and House of Representatives reworked the bill to provide for indirect and direct primaries, as well as consensus candidates.
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