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TheIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the electoral body which oversees elections inNigeria.[1] It was established in 1998 shortly before Nigeria's transition from military to civilian rule.[2][3]
The administration of democratic elections in Nigeria dates back to the period before Independence when the Electoral Commission of Nigeria (ECN) was inaugurated in 1958 to conduct the 1959[4] federal elections. Prior to 1958, regional laws and government regulated and conducted elections.[5][6] ECN was headed by anexpatriate,Ronald Edward Wraith and four Nigerian members representing each region and the Federal Capital Territory ofLagos. The Federal Electoral Commission (FEC), established in 1960, conducted the immediate post-independence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965.[7] Prior to the conduct of the 1964 election, the Chief Electoral Officer, Kofo Abayomi resigned and some party officials from the NCNC and Action Group doubted the credibility of a free and fair election.[8] The electoral body was dissolved after themilitary coup of 1966 in Nigeria.[9] In 1978, a newFederal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) was constituted by the regime of GeneralOlusegun Obasanjo, organizing the elections of 1979 which ushered in theNigerian Second Republic under the leadership of AlhajiShehu Shagari.[10] It also conducted the general elections of 1983.[11]
In December 1995, the military government under the leadership of generalSani Abacha established the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria which conducted another set of elections. These elected institutions were not inaugurated before the sudden death of General Abacha in June 1998 aborted the process. In 1998, GeneralAbdulsalam Abubakar's Administration dissolved National Electoral Commission of Nigeria(NECON) and established the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).[4][5] INEC organized the transitional elections that ushered in theNigerian Fourth Republic on May 29, 1999.[11]
In January 2015, the "#BringBackOurGirls group raised the alarm over plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to excludeChibok and some communities currently under the control of theBoko Haram from getting the permanent voter cards (PVCs) for theFebruary elections."[12]
The chairman of the first Nigerian Federal Electoral Commission (FEC) was ChiefEyo Esua (1964–1966) in theFirst Republic. When GeneralOlusegun Obasanjo prepared for a return to civilian power in theSecond Republic, he established a new Federal Electoral Commission headed by ChiefMichael Ani to supervise the 1979 elections. Ani was succeeded by JusticeVictor Ovie Whisky.During theIbrahim Babangida andSani Abacha regimes, which attempted returns to democracy, the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria was headed by professorEme Awa (1987–1989), professorHumphrey Nwosu (1989–1993), professorOkon Uya and chiefSumner Dagogo-Jack (1994–1998).[13][14]
GeneralAbdulsalami Abubakar established the current INEC, with JusticeEphraim Akpata as chairman. Akpata had to deal with 26 applications for party, but approving only nine for the 1998/1999 elections, eventually reduced to three.[15] Despite efforts to ensure free and fair elections, the process drew serious criticism from international observers.[16] After Akpata died in January 2000, the government of PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo appointedAbel Guobadia Nigeria's Chief Electoral Officer, a position that was confirmed by the Nigerian Senate in May 2000.[17] Guobadia was responsible for the 2003 elections, which were marred by widespread violence and other irregularities.[18]
In June 2005, Guobadia retired and was succeeded by professorMaurice Iwu. Soon after being appointed, Iwu announced that foreign monitors would not be allowed during elections, but only foreign election observers. This decision was condemned by politicians and civil society groups who called for his immediate removal from office.[19]The conduct of the 2007 elections was again criticized as falling below acceptable democratic standards.[20]
On 8 June 2010, professorAttahiru Muhammadu Jega was nominated by PresidentGoodluck Jonathan as the new INEC Chairman, subject to Senate confirmation, as a replacement for Iwu, who had vacated the post on 28 April 2010.[21] Jega's nomination as INEC chairman followed approval by a meeting of the National Council of State called by President Jonathan and attended by former heads of stateYakubu Gowon,Muhammadu Buhari,Ibrahim Babangida,Abdulsalami Abubakar,Ernest Shonekan,Olusegun Obasanjo andShehu Shagari.The Senate PresidentDavid Mark, Speaker of the House of RepresentativesOladimeji Bankole, and most of the state Governors also attended the meeting. Unanimous approval by the council of the nominee for this critical appointment avoided controversy about whether or not the President should appoint the chairman of the INEC.[22] Reactions to the announcement from a broad spectrum of political leaders and organisations were positive, although some voiced concern that it could be too late to implement real reforms before the 2011 elections.[23]
During the campaign for the2015 Nigerian general elections, Attahiru Jega "faced fierce criticism from both the opposition and the ruling party."[24] Attahiru Jega's five-year term came to an end on June 30, 2015, and though he was qualified for re-appointment, the chances of such became remote given the allegations of bias against him by campaign officials of President Goodluck.[25] PresidentMohammadu Buhari appointed professorMahmood Yakubu as INEC Chairman, Yakubu took over fromAmina Bala-Zakari, who was the acting chairman after Jega left.[26]
Mahmood Yakubu was succeeded byMay Agbamuche-Mbu, in October 7, 2025, as Acting Chairperson, after the former's completion of a second five-year tenure. On 8 October 2025,Joash Amupitan was finally nominated as the INEC Chairman,[27] replacing Agbamuche-Mbu.
The INEC has encountered several controversies in the run-up to elections in the country, most notably theApril 2007 general elections, includingcriticism about its preparedness fromSa'ad Abubakar,Sultan of Sokoto[28]and a dispute over its "disqualification" of Vice presidentAtiku Abubakar's candidacy.[29] TheSupreme Court ruled that the INEC can not disqualify candidates, so Abubakar's name was added to ballots at the last minute.[30]
On the subject of election irregularities, INEC spokesman Philip Umeadi said on April 19, 2007, that "We are not sitting on any crisis in Nigeria".[31]The mission of INEC is to serve as an independent and effective Election Management Bodies (EMB) committed to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria. The vision of INEC is to be one of the best Election Management Bodies (EMB) in the world that meets the aspirations of the Nigerian people.
In the buildup to 2015 general elections, the INEC under Jega introduced smart card reader for the verification of voters and their voting cards to minimize incidence of fraud and rigging.[32] The introduction of card readers was hailed by many Nigerians but a group of four minor political parties who claimed to be acting on behalf of 15 political parties kicked against it and urged the INEC to suspend the use of card readers in the 2015 elections.[33] The 2015 general elections were adjudged the most credible, free and fair elections since the return of democracy in 1999.[34][35]
The INEC was accused of widespread electoral irregularities in the 2019 presidential elections including cases of ballot paper unavailability, smart card readers malfunctioning, and large cancellation of valid votes. The main oppositionPeople's Democratic Party and its presidential candidate challenged the results of the election in court.[36]
Following the announcement of the2023 Nigerian presidential election, bothAtiku Abubakar andPeter Obi filed petitions before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT), challenging the results.[37] Their petitions alleged widespread irregularities, technical failures in INEC’s electronic transmission of results, and non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.[38][39]
INEC denied allegations of malpractice, maintaining that the election was conducted in substantial compliance with the law. To defend its position, the Commission appointed a team ofSenior Advocates of Nigeria led byAbubakar Balarabe Mahmoud. The team includedOluwakemi Pinheiro, Stephen Adehi, Miannaya Essien, and Abdullahi Aliyu.[40][41]
On 6 September 2023, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petitions, ruling that the opposition parties failed to prove substantial non-compliance or fraud. The Tribunal upheld INEC’s declaration ofBola Tinubu as president-elect.[42] On 26 October 2023, theSupreme Court of Nigeria affirmed the Tribunal’s judgment, dismissing the appeals filed by Obi and Atiku as lacking merit.[43][44]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)...INEC announced the date for the 2027 presidential election.[1]