By Haruna Salami
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has disclosed that the 2023 general election will hold on February 18, 2023.
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu disclosed this Wednesday in a keynote address at a public hearing on a Bill for an Act to establish National Electoral Offences Commission organised by the Senate Committee on INEC.
“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…”Prof. Yakubu said.
Professor Yakubu said 13 years after the recommendation by Justice Mohammed Uwais for the establishment of National Electoral Offences Commission, and many other committee reports on the same “we are here today at this historic event to make inputs into this bill”.
“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.
“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 18, 2023 to be passed in good time”.
Earlier, Chairman, 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.
