The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is pushing for sweeping legal reforms to empower it with the authority to appoint and discipline electoral officials across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, thewatch.ng reports.
The move was made public during a recent retreat with the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Electoral Matters, where INEC proposed amending key sections of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022. According to reports by TheCable, the commission believes centralising appointments at the federal level is crucial to ensuring transparent and credible elections in the future.
Mohammad Kuna, Special Adviser to INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, told lawmakers that the existing process—where the President appoints Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs)—is flawed. INEC is instead proposing the introduction of a new role, State Directors of Elections (SDEs), who would function like RECs but be directly appointed and supervised by the commission.
To implement this reform, INEC is calling for amendments to two legal provisions:
Section 14(3)(f) of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution, and
Section 6(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.
These changes would transfer the power to appoint and discipline the heads of INEC’s state and FCT offices directly to the commission, cutting out presidential interference.
“Amend Section 14 (3) Paragraph F of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution to confer the power of appointing and disciplining heads of state and FCT offices,” Kuna urged, stressing that this reform is vital to protect Nigeria’s elections from political influence.
INEC cited challenges faced during and after the 2023 general elections as justification for the push, saying that to conduct truly independent elections, the commission must have direct control over its key personnel in the states.
While members of the National Assembly welcomed the proposals, they called for broader consultations with political parties, civil society organisations, and legal experts. The reforms are expected to feature in upcoming constitutional amendment debates.
INEC insists the reforms are not a power grab but a necessary step to rebuild electoral trust. “Those running elections at the state level must be accountable, competent, and above partisan suspicion,” the commission said.
