• INEC suspends Warri constituency delineation
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to disclose details of the selection and appointment process for the successor to Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will end in November 2025.
SERAP urged Tinubu to disclose the number and names of candidates for INEC chairman and whether the Council of State has been consulted or would be consulted in making the appointment, as constitutionally required.
The organisation also urged the President to use the opportunity of the appointment of a new INEC chairman to reconsider the appointment of at least three alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and to nominate non-members of a political party as replacements.
It noted that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu will, in November, have completed his two-term tenure of 10 years, and Tinubu is expected to appoint his successor soon, subject to a Senate confirmation.
In the letter at the weekend and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said the selection and appointment process for Yakubu’s replacement cannot and should not be a closed shop but rather a transparent and accountable process that would serve legitimate public interests.
SERAP said that there is a strong correlation between transparency in the selection and appointment process of the INEC chairman and the ability of the commission to perform its constitutional and statutory duties independently and impartially.
According to the body, INEC plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s democratic process. Openness and transparency in the selection and appointment process, it said, would improve public trust in the commission’s independence and impartiality and citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
In another development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended all activities related to the delineation of electoral wards in the Warri Federal Constituency of Delta State.
INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, confirmed the development on Saturday, stating that the issue has been escalated to the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Speaking, Eta-Messi said: “This matter was brought to the attention of the NSA. At the moment, we cannot take any further action.”
She, however, clarified that the suspension of the ward delineation exercise will not affect the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) currently ongoing in the constituency.
This development follows a peaceful protest staged weeks earlier by members of the Urhobo and Ijaw communities from Warri North, Warri South, and Warri South-West local council areas.
On September 9, the protesters stormed INEC headquarters in Abuja to demand immediate implementation of a 2022 Supreme Court judgment directing a fresh delineation of electoral wards in Warri.
