Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has announced that the commission is preparing new regulations to explain how Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 will be applied. This move comes in response to growing confusion over the section’s meaning, especially concerning INEC’s authority to review results declared under suspicious circumstances.
Speaking during a meeting with resident electoral commissioners on Tuesday, July 1, at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, Yakubu said the commission is aware of the varied interpretations attached to the law. Section 65 allows INEC to revisit election results within seven days if a returning officer’s declaration was influenced by force or violated electoral rules.
Yakubu explained that the commission is finalizing a supplement to the 2022 Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections to ensure everyone understands when and how results can be reviewed. He mentioned that the document may be published on INEC’s website as early as this week.
He urged state-level commissioners to take the lead in enforcing policies and to focus on staff training, stakeholder engagement, logistics, and security coordination to uphold credible elections. Yakubu also introduced six newly appointed resident commissioners, stating that every state and the Federal Capital Territory now has full representation. He ended by stressing that the integrity of upcoming elections will depend on the leadership and commitment of these commissioners.
