Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has fixed February 18, 2023 for the next general elections in the country.
Elections to the office of the president, National Assembly, state government and House of Assembly comes up every four years. The last general elections was in 2019, February.
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, Wednesday in a keynoteaddress at a public hearing on a Bill for an Act to establish National Electoral Offences Commission organised by the Senate Committee on INEC, said, “The Commission is anxious to know the legal framework to govern the 2023 general elections. By the principles established by the Commission, the 2023 general elections will hold on Saturday February 18, 2023, which is exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days away from today or 660 day.
“No doubt, INEC is saddled with many responsibilities as it is election throughout the year in Nigeria.
“Since 2015 election, 124 cases of electoral offences are being prosecuted with only 60 convictions”, Yakubu said.
Callingbfir legal framework that will govern the next general elections, Yakubu said, “However, while we are excited about today’s action, we want the legal framework, the Electoral Act (Amendment) that will govern the 2023, elections, which comes up on February 28, 2023 to be passed in good time”.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya assured all the stakeholders that the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was receiving attention and hopefully will be assented to by the President.
Gaya said passage of the National Electoral Offences Commission will definitely “change the narrative in our electoral process”.
Sponsor of the National Electoral Offences Commission Bill, Senator Abubakar Kyari said the process started in the 8th Senate when he sponsored the bill with Ovie Omo-Agege because they realised that INEC cannot prosecute 1% if electoral offences and that function should be taken off their shoulders for INEC to function effectively.
