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INEC chair urges lawmakers to fast-track implementation of electoral reforms
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has called on lawmakers to accelerate the approval of electoral law reforms.
Speaking Thursday in Abuja at a meeting with the European Union Election Observation Follow-up Mission to Nigeria—headed by Barry Andrews, who previously led the EU Mission for the 2023 General Election—Yakubu stressed the importance of timely legislative action.
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The INEC chairman argued that prompt passage of electoral amendments is essential for the commission’s preparation for upcoming elections.
“Uncertainty over the legal framework for the election can unsettle the work of the commission as the election draws nearer,” Yakubu said.
He disclosed that INEC has examined all eight recommendations specifically targeting the commission within the European Union Election Observation Mission’s (EU EOM) analysis of the 2023 general election.
Yakubu provided historical context, explaining that the 2019 EU EOM produced 30 recommendations—11 directed at INEC, with three classified as priority items and eight as general recommendations.
By contrast, the 2023 EU EOM report generated 23 recommendations, with eight (34.8%) requiring INEC action. Just one qualified as a priority recommendation.
The other 15 recommendations (65.2%), including five designated as priorities, call for action from various entities such as the executive branch, legislature, judiciary, political parties, and civil society organizations.
“The commission has carefully considered all eight recommendations specifically addressed to us in your report,” Yakubu said.
“Action has already been taken on those aspects that require only administrative measures for implementation.”
“Similarly, action is being taken on cross-cutting recommendations that require collective action between INEC and other bodies and stakeholders while waiting for the conclusion of the ongoing legal review by the National Assembly on the recommendations that require legislative intervention.”
The chairman explained that EU recommendations, along with input from other domestic and international election observers, informed INEC’s comprehensive post-election analysis of the 2023 general election through consultations with various institutions and stakeholders.
This review process yielded 142 recommendations for electoral improvements, and INEC released its comprehensive report on the 2023 general election more than twelve months ago.
“As you are aware, an election is a process governed by law. Many of your recommendations require a review of our electoral legal framework,” Yakubu said.
“For this reason, the commission has engaged with the National Assembly, including participating in a retreat with the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.”
Yakubu pledged INEC’s continued cooperation with the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) and other monitoring organizations, acknowledging that their input has enhanced the standard of Nigeria’s electoral system and procedures.
Barry Andrews stated the mission’s purpose was to evaluate implementation progress on the recommendations from the EU EOM’s 2023 general election report.
Andrews noted the mission’s focus on understanding implementation levels, obstacles encountered, and issues surrounding future reforms, particularly those requiring constitutional changes.
“What we are here to do is to review the recommendations that came from the overall mission and were included in the final report published in 2023,” he said.
“We are very happy to see that there has been significant progress in addressing these recommendations.”
“We recognize that there are certain time constraints, both in terms of judicial and administrative reforms,” Andrews said.
“Of course, constitutional reform is somewhat more complex, but all of these recommendations are made against international standards that the EU, Nigeria, and most countries have committed to.”
He added, “We are part of a global election observation ecosystem that has helped to strengthen and support democracy—not only in Nigeria or Africa but across the world, including Europe.”
Referencing the off-cycle governorship elections held following the 2023 general election, Andrews mentioned the mission’s particular interest in measures taken to improve transparency in results publication—a critical recommendation from their earlier report.
Aviation and Aerospace Development Minister Festus Keyamo has suggested implementing legislation requiring government personnel to utilize Nigerian carriers for overseas travel where available.
The proposal was presented on Sunday at a ceremonial departure event for Air Peace’s first direct service between Abuja and London Heathrow Airport.
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Benjamin Kalu, who serves as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Air Peace’s Chairman Allen Onyema attended the ceremony at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The minister revealed plans for legislation called the Fly Nigerian Act, expressing confidence that it would receive parliamentary approval through Kalu’s support.
Under the proposed framework, government employees traveling internationally would be obligated to book with Nigerian carriers operating their intended routes.
The requirement would only be waived when no domestic airline services the destination, Keyamo clarified.
The minister referenced similar policies implemented globally, citing American and Indian aviation preference laws as examples, and stressed Nigeria’s need to support its national carriers similarly.
He outlined the practical application: before any government representative—whether legislators, ministers, or agency directors—books international travel, they must first verify whether a Nigerian airline operates that route and prioritize it accordingly.
Keyamo confirmed the ministry’s dedication to advancing this legislation through the approval process.
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the South-East in the National Assembly have issued a warning that they may withdraw from the party’s upcoming national convention if the National Woman Leader position is reassigned from their region.
The PDP convention is scheduled to hold on November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
However, growing discord has emerged within the party as the South-East caucus in the House of Representatives maintains that the woman leader role must continue to belong to their zone.
READ ALSO: Northern PDP leaders endorse Kabiru Turaki for party chairmanship
Rep. Ikenga-Imo Ugochinyere, spokesperson of the South-East PDP caucus in the House, announced this position in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
He indicated that the legislators will release an official disclaimer regarding the Ibadan convention should they verify that the role has been reassigned to another region.
According to Ugochinyere, the lawmakers are ready to defend the political rights of the region, stressing that any move to strip the South-East of the woman leader position would amount to a deliberate insult.
He said, “We don’t want to see PDP suffer more setbacks; still, we will stick to our position at the Ibadan convention if, in the next few weeks, what we are hearing is confirmed.”
The representative cautioned that no elected official from the South-East would continue their PDP membership should this arrangement proceed. He noted there remains adequate time for party leadership to address this grievance before candidate screening commences.
Ugochinyere clarified that the previous zoning formula, which designated Enugu State to provide the woman leader, became void after Governor Peter Mbah’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He noted that this defection also impacted Mbah’s selection for the woman leader role, who has similarly moved to the APC.
The PDP Spokesman accused certain elements within the party of plotting to shift the position to the South-South, warning that such a move would provoke anger across the South-East.
“However, confirmed information is filtering in that some people are trying to move that woman leader position out of the South-East to the South-South,” he said.
The South-East caucus reached out to PDP leaders across the South, including Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, requesting their support in ensuring the role stays within their zone.
Ugochinyere described any attempt to take the position away as “an insult” to the South-East and a move that could further divide the party.
Furthermore, he warned that a boycott by South-East lawmakers could intensify the existing turmoil within the PDP and discourage members from attending the Ibadan convention.
Fear swept through the Orile-Iganmu neighborhood of Lagos on Sunday following a gas explosion that tore through part of the Orisunmibare Market, off Baale Street, consuming numerous shops in intense flames.
While the incident claimed no lives, the blaze that ignited approximately 2:13 p.m. destroyed merchandise valued at millions of naira and caused traders and local residents to flee for their lives.
Authorities traced the source of the explosion to a gas retail establishment that reportedly stored numerous cylinders of different capacities.
READ ALSO: Deadly petrol tanker explosion rocks Abeokuta–Sagamu expressway
An eyewitness, identified simply as Ejem, who narrowly escaped, recounted: “I was inside when it happened. Around us here, there are three filling stations — one is the MRS filling station opposite my street; another is a gas company behind my street; and then there’s a man who has a very big shop where he sells gas.
They said one of the boys at the shop was pressing his phone when the explosion occurred.
The fire spread quickly because part of the nearby market also had shops where people used camp gas for cooking.”
Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, verified the event, noting that personnel arrived swiftly and successfully managed the emergency.
“No lives were lost, except for one person who sustained a minor hand injury,” she said.
In a related development, firefighting teams addressed a separate emergency involving a 33,000-litre petrol tanker along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, close to the Berger Car Depot.
The tanker, bearing registration number AAB-942YC, discharged its cargo following a collision with a Mercedes-Benz Jeep (plate number LSR 606HX) and seven additional stationary vehicles on display for purchase.
According to Adeseye, “Prompt intervention by the Ajegunle and Ijegun-Egba Fire Crews prevented the spill from escalating into another disaster. The remaining fuel has been safely transferred to another tanker, while recovery of damaged vehicles is ongoing.”
Additionally, the Fire Service conducted a rescue operation for an individual trapped within an underground drainage system along Ikorodu Road, near Idiroko Bus Stop, inward Maryland, Anthony Village, on Saturday afternoon.
Adeseye reported that the emergency call came in at 12:24 p.m., prompting immediate dispatch of the Ilupeju Fire Station to the location.
“Upon arrival, responders discovered that a male adult, about 55 years old, had accidentally fallen into a manhole. Our rescue personnel immediately initiated a confined-space rescue operation using specialized equipment, and after sustained effort, the victim was recovered alive and handed over to the Police from Anthony Division for further action,” she stated.
The operation, which continued until 3:41 p.m., concluded successfully with the area properly secured.
Adeseye emphasized the agency’s dedication to safeguarding lives and property throughout Lagos, highlighting that despite handling multiple emergencies over 48 hours, “all incidents were efficiently contained without any loss of life.”
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