Politics
INEC: Yakubu And Second Term Challenge
In 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar replaced the Sumner Dagogo-Jack led National Electoral Commission (NEC) with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and appointed retired Justice Ephrain Omorose Ibukun Akpata as chairman. Justice Akpata conducted the 1998-1999 elections that ushered in the present democratic dispensation.
The retired Supreme Court jurist was taken out of office by death on January 8, 2000 and was succeeded by Sir Abel Guobadia. After Guobadia came Prof. Maurice Iwu in June 2005 but was removed from office in April 2010.
Prof. Attahiru Jega succeeded Prof. Iwu as chairman of INEC in June 2010 and lasted till July 2015 when he retired from service and handed over the baton to Mrs Amina Zakari in acting capacity. And, of course, Mrs Zakari surrendered the office to Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on November 9, 2015.
As the end of the statutory five-year tenure in November approached, President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded the name of Prof Yakubu for re-oppointment and or confirmation for a second term in office by the senate on October 27, 2020.
There are some who argue that the re-oppointment of Prof Yakubu has nothing to do with his performance as chairman of INEC and everything to do with his success in delivering the personal electoral agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.
Those who hold this view point to the presidents’ seeming penchant for keeping cronies, longtime associates and political friends in office, irrespective of their inability to satisfy Nigerians, while relieving some others of their positions against popular approval of their performance.
To support their argument, they quickly recall the appointment of most of his cabinet ministers for a second term in office though Nigerians openly clamoured for their replacement even before they ended their first term due to a wide spread belief of their less than satisfactory performance in the discharge of their mandates.
Furthermore, they recall the dropping of the president’s first term Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu and his replacement with Timipre Sylva as Buhari’s lack of regard for expertise, competence and merit based on proven visible track record of performance.
Not least of all, this crop of citizens draw evidence in the presidents’ stiff-necked refusal to let go of the security chiefs in the country, not minding the deteriorating security situation and the hue and cry across the land for their retirement. It is on record that the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has taken three resolutions on the same subject matter within a space of one year, yet the president has not seen the need to accede to the people’s demand.
However, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) who went to the National Assembly to express their support for the screening and confirmation of Prof. Yakubu described his reappointment as a step in the right direction, adding that his achievements in office qualified him for a fresh mandate.
Bearing placards with inscriptions such as “All political parties in Nigeria accept Prof Yakubu’s reappointment as INEC chairman, commend Senate President and Senators for speedy screening action”, “All political parties in Nigeria say President Buhari’s reappointment of Prof Mahmood Yakubu as INEC chairman will help consolidate the ongoing reforms in INEC, especially electronic voting”, they urged the lawmakers to make haste in signing off on Prof Yakubu’s confirmation, adding that even as opposition, they were not prepared to play politics with everything.
Speaking to newsmen on behalf of the group at the NASS complex in Abuja, the National Chairman of Action Alliance, Kenneth Udeze commended Prof Yakubu for his innovation in the recently concluded Edo and Ondo governorship elections, pointing out that the electronic transmission of results from the polling units introduced by the INEC chairman was worthy of praise.
“He has done well. One thing is to have a team and another to have a good man at the head”, he said and urged the chairman to carry further the success achieved at the Edo and Ondo guber polls to the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Earlier, the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had raised the alarm that it had uncovered a plot by two serving ministers in President Buhari’s cabinet to terminate the emergence of Prof Yakubu as INEC chairman a second time, using the courts.
According to IPAC, “a few desperate politicians, particularly those in the cabinet of the president, have conspired yet again to desecrate the temple of justice, the institution of the judiciary, like they did in the removal of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, to hijack the legislative powers of the Senate to screen and confirm the nominee.
“We have uncovered a deadly plot to procure a midnight court order to destabilize the electoral stability of the country and throw the electoral body into leadership vacuum and challenges. This plot is being secretly spearheaded by those who parade as loyalists of Mr President in the day time but wear a treacherous dress to undo the president and sabotage his agenda in pursuit of a desperate ambition to be president and governor”.
Speaking to the senators during his screening, Prof. Yakubu regretted his postponement of the 2019 general election, by one week. He said the postponement was a major unfortunate incident in his tenure from which he learnt a lot and expressed the hope that such a situation would not arise again.
The chief electoral umpire in the country also promised the senators that if given a second chance, he would do his best to deliver on reforming the commission to meet the needs of millions of Nigerians for transparent and credible elections in Nigeria.
Ofcourse, on Tuesday, December 1, the Senate in plenary gave its nod for a five-year second term in office for Prof Mahmood Yakubu as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, he was sworn into office at the Executive Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We have clearly demonstrated in recent elections that elections are getting better and they will continue to get better.
“The National Assembly is holding a public hearing on the amendment of the electoral legal framework. This is important and this time around, working with the National Assembly, we’ll ensure a speedy passage of the amendment bill and once it is assented to, it will help us enormously in confronting the challenges ahead.
“The preparations for 2023 general election have proceeded in earnest. We need certainty and therefore the electoral framework is fundamental, without which we cannot formulate our regulations and guidelines”, Prof. Yakubu said after taking his oath of office.
While there are good reasons to be hopeful that the electoral fortunes of the country could get better, even under the second tenure of Prof. Yakubu, it is to be noted that his first tenure was characterized by a string of inconclusive elections, allegations and counter allegations of vote buying and sundry complaints of electoral offenses as INEC remained unable to address the situation decisively.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan has pledged to pass the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in the first quarter of 2021 and also give legal backing to the use of the electronic card reader.
With this in place, Nigerians are high in expectation that Prof. Yakubu, the first to get a second tenure in the office of the chief electoral umpire, will have no excuses but to work to realize their electoral dreams and guarantee the country a stable democratic experience.
By: Opaka Dokubo
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.
In a timetable issued by its National Secretariat in Abuja and signed by the National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, the party said the activities were in line with provisions of its constitution guiding the election of party officials across all tiers.
According to the schedule, membership e-registration began on January 31 and ended on February 8, while notices of congresses were dispatched to state and Federal Capital Territory chapters on February 2.
Submission of nomination forms for ward and local government congresses closed on February 9, followed by screening and appeals between February 10 and February 14.
Ward congresses are fixed for February 18, with appeals the following day, while local government congresses will take place on February 21 and appeals on February 23.
At the state level, purchase of forms for state executive positions will run from February 22 to February 25, with screening set for February 27–28 and appeals from March 1–2. State congresses are scheduled for March 3, and appeals on March 4.
Activities leading to zonal congresses and the national convention include purchase and submission of forms between March 12 and March 16, inauguration of screening committees on March 23, and screening of aspirants on March 24. Zonal congresses across the six geo-political zones are slated for March 25, with appeals on March 26.
The party’s national convention will hold from March 27 to March 28.The APC also published fees for expression of interest and nomination forms across the different tiers.
At the ward level, expression of interest costs ?5,000, while nomination forms range from ?15,000 to ?20,000 depending on the position. For local government positions, nomination forms range from ?50,000 to ?100,000 after a ?10,000 expression-of-interest fee.
State executive positions attract ?50,000 for expression of interest, with nomination forms pegged at ?1 million for chairman and ?500,000 for other offices. Zonal offices require ?100,000 expression of interest and ?200,000 for nomination.
For national positions, the fees rise significantly, with expression of interest set at ?100,000. Nomination forms cost ?10 million for national chairman, ?7.5 million for deputy national chairmen and national secretary, ?5 million for other offices, and ?250,000 for National Executive Committee membership.
The party noted that female aspirants, youths and persons living with disabilities would pay only the expression-of-interest fee and 50 per cent of nomination costs. It also clarified that Ekiti, Osun, Rivers states and the FCT are excluded from ward, local government and state congresses, but will participate in electing delegates to the national convention.
Forms are to be completed online after payment verification, with payments directed to designated APC accounts at Zenith Bank and United Bank for Africa.
The congress cycle is expected to determine new party leadership structures ahead of future electoral activities.
The Tide source reports that the committee, reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, is making moves to reclaim the Wadata Plaza headquarters months after it was sealed following a violent clash between rival factions of the party.
Senior officers at the FCT Police Command told our source that while they had not received an official briefing, police personnel would be stationed at the secretariat and other key locations to maintain peace.
The Acting National Secretary of the Mohammed-led committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, announced last week that the secretariat would reopen for official activities on Monday (today).
He dismissed claims that ongoing litigation would prevent the reopening, saying, “There are no legal barriers preventing the caretaker committee from resuming work at the party’s headquarters.”
However, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) has fiercely rejected the reopening move, insisting that Sen. Anyanwu and his group remain expelled from the PDP and have no authority to act on its behalf.
Speaking with The Tide source, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, declared: “They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto.
“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit.”
Mr Ememobong further revealed that letters had been sent to both the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, stressing that the matter was still in court and warning against any attempt to “resort to self-help.”
“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” he said.
He warned that reopening the secretariat would amount to contempt of court.
A senior officer at the FCT Police Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that officers would be deployed to the area to avert a repeat of the November 19 violence that led to the secretariat’s initial closure.
“The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else. Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground,” he said.
Another officer added, “There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said she had not been briefed on the planned reopening and declined to comment on whether officers would be deployed.
Asked to confirm whether the secretariat was initially sealed by police, she responded, “Yes,” but refused to say more about the current deployment plans.
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