BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has assured that the electoral body will obey any amendment to the Electoral Act or time table as long as it is timely and legitimate.
Yakubu, who stated this at the Prof Abubakar Momoh Memorial Lecture, organised by The Electoral Institute (TEI), the training and research arm of INEC, in Abuja, however, said the amendment is still a proposal by the House of Representatives.
Yakubu, represented by INEC’s National Commissioners, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, explained that he believes that the propose amendment is still going to enjoy the concurrence and harmonization of both chambers of the National Assembly as well as input from states.
The INEC chairman was reacting to the reported amendment of the 2019 election time table by the House of Representatives.
Yakubu further said; “As a law-abiding organisation, INEC works with the Electoral Act. If there is a legitimate amendment to the Act, INEC will have no option than to obey, but that must happen first.
“Like I said, the role of INEC is to conduct elections based on the law; if there is a legitimate amendment to the Electoral Act, INEC will obey.
‘’Practically, there is an ECOWAS protocol discouraging amendment of the Electoral Act before the election in less than six months to an election and we still have more than six months.”
