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The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced Saturday, July 20, and Saturday, August 8, 2026, respectively, as dates for governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States.
INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made this known on Friday, during the swearing-in of six newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners recently confirmed by the National Assembly.
He said the conduct of elections in Nigeria is a challenging and sacred responsibility.
“The conduct of elections is not only a huge responsibility but also a sacred duty.”
He added that the commission is finalising arrangements for bye-elections to fill vacant seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly
Dr Sam Amadi, the former chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, has described the country’s administrative failure as the biggest threat to free and fair elections.
He stated this in Abuja while speaking at the launch of the National Action Plan on Electoral Reform by the Political Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress, TUC, and the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought.
Reacting to the widespread endorsement of President Bola Tinubu’s second term, Amadi call for the reform of INEC and the judiciary ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him: “The proposed National Strategic Action is different from previous efforts in electoral reform in Nigeria; [it] is also directed at the judiciary. Both Executive and Judiciary arise from the recognition that the real threats to electoral integrity and justice come from the electoral management body and the judiciary.
“The proposed joint project has become urgent because of the widespread and growing skepticism about the prospect of free and fair elections amongst both electorates and politicians. This skepticism is reflected in the spate of decampment to the ruling APC by governors and legislators of opposition parties because of fear of being rigged out of office.”
Continuing, he said: “The 2023 and by-election experiences show that without reforming the institutional setting and procedures of the electoral management body and thereby guaranteeing its independence and impartiality, we can’t have a guarantee of credible and trustworthy elections.
