INEC fixes Feb 2023 for presidential poll, wants electoral bill passed

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said the timetable for the 2023 general elections will be released in November 2021.

It said by principle the 2023 presidential election will hold on February 18, 2023.

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INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, stated this at a public hearing on the Electoral Offences Commission (Establishment) bill, sponsored by Senator Abubakar Kyari.

Yakubu, however, said there must be clarity and certainty about the electoral legal framework to govern the conduct of the 2023 general elections before the timetable would be released.

He, therefore, appealed to the National Assembly to expedite work on the Electoral Act amendment bill currently before it.

“The commission is anxious to know the legal framework to govern the conduct of the 2023 general elections.

“By the principle established by the commission, the 2023 general elections will be held on Saturday, 18 February 2023 which is exactly one year, nine months, two weeks and six days away from today.

“We hope to release the timetable for the general elections immediately after the Anambra governorship election scheduled to hold on the 6th of November 2021.

“In order to do so, there should be clarity and certainty about the electoral legal framework to govern the 2023 general elections. We are confident that the National Assembly will do the needful and do so in earnest,” he said.

On prosecution of electoral offenders, the INEC boss said the commission, since the 2015 general elections, had secured 60 convictions out of the 124 cases filed in court.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has faulted some sections of the bill.

A representative of the minister, Mr Abah Anthony, said in “sections 6 and 7 of the proposed bill, the functions and powers, proposed to empower the commission to prosecute electoral offences appear to run contrary with Section 174 of the Constitution on the powers of the Attorney-General of the Federation with respect to all public prosecutions.