Four National Commissioner positions are currently vacant at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), barely a year to the 2027 general elections, a senior official of the commission has disclosed.
The official, who spoke exclusively to Daily Trust on Saturday, said three National Commissioners had already completed their five-year tenure and left the commission on September 14, while another is expected to leave this month.
He said the vacancies would not prevent the commission from taking decisions because the remaining commissioners could still form a quorum, but acknowledged that the absence of the commissioners had increased the workload of those still in office.
“Obviously, we should have the commission with the full complement. But that doesn’t mean that it’s an adverse effect because there was a precedent. Elections were held without the full complement, but the most important thing is that there is quorum,” he said.
According to him, after the four commissioners have left, INEC will still have eight National Commissioners, which is sufficient to form a quorum for the commission’s decisions.
“Because after the four have left, we still have eight. And the quorum is also there, so the decision, it doesn’t affect decisions in the quorum,” he said.
However, the official said the vacancies should be filled as soon as possible because serving commissioners were having to take on additional responsibilities.
He said the absence of commissioners resulted in taking over some of the responsibilities of the affected commissioner, including the supervision of states and chairmanship of committees by those on ground.
“So that means more work, of course, for those who are there. So that underscores the need for the government as quickly as possible to fill in those vacancies,” he said.
The names according to the source are; Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru from the North-West. He was the Chairman, Operations and Logistics committee; also, Professor Sani Adam from the North-Central. He was the Chairman, Legal services, clearance and compliance committee; while the third person who left already is Dr. Baba Bila, from North – East. He was the Chairman, Finance and General Purpose Committee.
The one person who is expected to leave this month is Professor Kunle Ajayi, who represents South-West. He is the Chairman, Outreach and Partnership Committee. Although, the source could not immediately confirm the exact date of his departure.
The official stressed that the affected commissioners left because their statutory five-year tenure had expired.
“Their tenure expired. They were sworn in exactly five years ago. To the date, their tenure expired. The three I told you, their tenure expired September 14th.
“So they were sworn in five years earlier, exactly five years earlier. So when it is on the dot, when your tenure expires, you leave,” he said.
On the process of replacing the commissioners, the official said INEC had no role in appointing either National Commissioners or Resident Electoral Commissioners, stressing that the responsibility rested with the government.
“You know the procedure. The President nominates, submits it to the National Council of State. If the National Council of State approves, then the Presidency sends it to the Senate.
“So INEC has absolutely no role in the appointment of its commissioners, whether they are National or Resident Electoral Commissioners,” he said.
He added that the process included security clearances, including screening by the Department of State Services (DSS), before the nominees could proceed through the constitutional process.
Asked whether the Presidency was aware of the vacancies, the official said he could not speak on behalf of the Presidency.
“I wouldn’t know. They should know, but I cannot speak for the Presidency,” he said.
The senior official also disclosed that a Resident Electoral Commissioner had left the commission, although the conversation was interrupted by a poor telephone connection before further details could be obtained.
The development comes as INEC continues preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission expected to undertake several activities ahead of the polls.
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