Today, as the Commission celebrates the International Women’s Day, it reaffirms its commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women in Nigeria’s electoral process. International Women’s Day highlights both the remarkable contributions women have made in society, including within the electoral system, and the need for further efforts toward true gender parity. INEC has made significant strides in ensuring women’s inclusion and representation within its leadership and decision-making bodies.

As the theme for the 2025 International Women’s Day is ‘Accelerate Action,’ INEC recognizes that gender equality is not only a matter of fairness, but also a critical pillar in strengthening democracy. A leadership that reflects gender balance, where women equally participate in decision-making, leads to more inclusive and responsive governance. INEC continues to make efforts to ensure that women hold leadership positions within the Commission.

The current leadership composition at INEC includes:

National Commissioners: Out of 12 National Commissioners, 2 are women, making up 16.7% of the total leadership. While this is a notable milestone, there is still work to be done in achieving gender balance in this decision-making body.

Secretary of the Commission: The position of Secretary, responsible for overseeing INEC’s operations, is held by a woman.

Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs): Of the 32 Resident Electoral Commissioners, 4 are women, accounting for 12.5% of this critical leadership group. This figure reflects an ongoing effort to improve gender balance at regional levels of the Commission.

Administrative Secretaries: There are 37 Administrative Secretaries at INEC, 12 of whom are women, accounting for 32.4% of the administrative leadership.

Directors: Of the 26 Directors, 11 are women, making up 42.3% of the leadership in this directorate. This reflects the increasing representation of women in shaping the electoral process.

These numbers show the progress made, but INEC recognizes the need for ongoing efforts to achieve greater gender equity across all leadership levels. The Commission is committed to creating an environment where women are not only participants but active contributors to shaping Nigeria’s electoral landscape.

INEC is also working on policies to encourage greater participation of women at all levels of the electoral process, from candidates to voters, from election administrators to party representatives. The Commission is committed to breaking down the barriers women face, including societal expectations, lack of support systems, and gender-based violence.

As INEC celebrates this year’s International Women’s Day, it reaffirms its dedication to gender equality. The Commission understands that the future of democracy in Nigeria is deeply tied to the empowerment of women and their full participation in the electoral process. Gender equality will remain a priority for INEC in all areas of its work.

Therefore, INEC urges all Nigerians, both men and women, to join in advancing gender equality, not only in the electoral process but across all aspects of life. When women are empowered to take leadership roles and given equal opportunities, Nigeria’s democracy will be stronger, governance will be more inclusive, and the future will be brighter for everyone.

*Victoria Eta-Messi is the Director, Voter Education and Publicity at INEC

Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, said in a statement Tuesday that Nigerians should disregard the report.

The statement reads:

The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been drawn to a misleading report making the rounds, that we will resume the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and replacement of lost Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) on 27th May 2025.

The report is untrue. The Commission has not announced any resumption date for the CVR.

We appeal to the public to disregard the false narrative.

INEC, in a statement by its spokesperson Rotimi Oyekanmi, said a recent accusation by Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara that it was playing politics with the matter was unfortunate and false.

The INEC statement reads:

Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, in which the Commission was accused of selective implementation of elections to fill vacancies arising from the defection of serving members of the National and State Assembly from one political party to another.

While no specific instances of the alleged selective action were presented, the statement specifically accused the Commission of deliberate failure to fill the vacancies resulting from the protracted crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly where two factions are jostling for control. In the midst of the crisis, three or so lawmakers have declared the seats of 27 members vacant and vice versa.

While the Commission is aware of the situation in the Rivers State House of Assembly, the matter is pending in court and, therefore, subjudice.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Commission has been joined in several suits filed by litigants at various courts, including the Supreme Court.

Under the circumstances, the Commission must await the final judicial pronouncement on the matter before it embarks on a puerile exercise that may eventually amount to a nullity and a waste of public funds.

We urge people occupying high public offices to be circumspect in their public statements before they mislead the public and cast aspersion on public institutions, particularly where they are aware of the pendancy of cases in court.

Abioye announced this at a press conference on Saturday, hours after voting closes across the state.
The election was marred by low voter turnout, inadequate or non-existent materials and officials at some polling units, as well as arrest of some electoral officers by the police.

SEE FULL List OF WINNERS:

1. Boripe – Babalola Wasiu Kayode

2. Egbedore – Okunade Oluwafemi Adesanya

3. Ife Central – Adeyenuwo Rotimi John

4. Obokun – Agboola Francis Olajire

5. Isokan – Azeez Lateef Adeniran

6. Boluwaduro – Aina Abayomi Adesina

7. Ola Oluwa – Sodiq Samuel Oluwapelumi

8. Irepodun – Ajibade Oluwatoyin S.

9. Ilesa West – Adebanjo Oladiti Tunmininu

10 . Atakumosa East – Ibironke Alade Adegboye

11. Ife South- Aroke Muyiwa Aderemi

12. Olorunda – Kolade Obafemi Kolawole

13. Iwo – Moshood Adekunle Kabiru

14. Ifelodun – Awotunde Abiodun Sarafadeen

15. Osogbo- Akande Taiwo Adekunle

16. Atakumosa West – Dada Feyisayo Ajibola

17. Ede North – Amodu Taiwo

18. Ifedayo – Atolagbe Kayode Olayinka

19. Ife North – Akande Micheal O.

20. Oriade – Adeyekun Taiwo Adebayo

21. Ayedaade – Adeniran Adenike Felicia

22. Ede South – Afolabi Oyekola Lukman

23. Ife East – Odunyemi Haruna Bukola

24. Irewole – Jooda Ambali Babajide

25. Odo Otin – Adewale Adeyinka Oluwaseun

26. Ayedire – Ogunbiyi Solomon Akinyemi

27. Ejigbo – Raimi Adenike Nafisat

28. Ila – Adebisi Jayeola Nasir

29. Ilesa East – Ilesanmi Taiwo Sunday

30. Orolu – Alade Aderemi Fatai

Chairman of the OSSIEC, Hashim Abidoye announced this on Saturday during a Rave FM live current affairs programme.

Abioye expressed surprise that such step could be taken while elections are ongoing across the state to elect executives for the state local government councils.

He however claimed that despite the actions of the police, the election is ongoing across all polling units across the state.

Stating that there was scant police presence as polling units to provide security, he said he had left the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun in the hands of God.

“Election has started earnestly in all the polling units across the state but no police presence is noticeable from the information available to me,” he said.

The police had, on Friday advised the state government to postpone the election, citing what it said were credible intelligence of likely violence.
But the state government, which rejected the advice, said the police was merely acting in support of the opposition APC.

In a post on X, Governor Ademola Adeleke praised the people of Osun for their conduct.

He said: “A few minutes ago, I carried out my democratic duty by casting my vote at my polling unit in Ede. I commend the good people of Osun for maintaining a peaceful and orderly atmosphere at polling units across the state and encourage everyone to exercise their democratic right.”

Justice A.A. Aderibigbe who presided over the case further issued three orders as the court ordered that the claimants’ claim succeeds and that the following reliefs and orders are granted by this Court:

1. AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT is granted, recognizing the existing vacancies across all the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State, the election conducted by the 1st defendant on 15th October, 2022, having being invalidated, nullified and voided, and the purported elected officials produced by the purported election having been sacked by the Federal High Court FHC/CS/OS/103/2022; in ACTION PEOPLE PARTY (APP) VS. INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) & ors. delivered on the 30th November, 2022, and as confirmed by the decision of the Court of Appeal, in Appeal No. CA/AK/226M/2024, ALLIED PEOPLE MOVEMENT (APM) & ORS vs. ACTION PEOLES PARTY (APP) & ORS delivered on 13th January, 2025.

2. AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT is granted, directing, mandating and compelling the defendants to fill the vacancies across the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State through a democratic process by proceeding to conduct the Local Government ELECTIONS already scheduled by the defendants for 22nd of February, 2025.

3. AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT is granted, directing, mandating and compelling all the Security agents comprising of the Nigeria Police, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Amotekun Corps, the Vigilante Groups etc. to provide adequate security and maintain peace and order before, during and after the local government election scheduled by the Defendants for 22nd February, 2025 in Osun State.

The Attorney General of the State, Hon Wole Jimi Bada Esq at a press briefing held at the Government House said the state government has received the court judgement and has resolved to obey the rulings.

The Attorney General who said the Adeleke administration is a law abiding one posited that the judgment is binding, announcing that “the state government appealed to Osun voters to troops out tomorrow to exercise their voting rights

“The judgement is explicit enough and I call on all stakeholders to participate in the elections. We must remain peaceful as we exercise our voting rights in compliance with the court rulings”, the Attorney General told the media.

Signed:
Oluomo Kolapo Alimi,
Hon Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment

The Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the latest appeal at the first quarterly consultative meeting with the Media, held at the INEC Headquarters, Abuja on February 7, 2025.

Prof. Yakubu emphasized that while electoral processes had witnessed steady improvements, the prosecution of electoral offenders remains a critical challenge.

According to him, the major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice “is that electoral offences are not time-bound, as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals.”

He attributed the slow pace to the fact that electoral offences were being solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences were committed, where no priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases.

“This has led to cases lingering for years, often carried over from one election cycle to another,” he lamented.

Highlighting the recent successful prosecution of a Returning Officer in Akwa Ibom State, Prof. Yakubu said: “The Commission has been diligently pursuing the case, which arose from the 2019 General Election. It took nearly six years to achieve the successful prosecution at the trial court. Through our collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), cases involving 774 alleged offenders from the 2023 General Election are being prosecuted. So far, successful prosecutions have been recorded in Kebbi and Kogi States while our collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on vote-buying has yielded similar results in Lagos, Kwara and Gombe States. Yet, many casesare still pending.”

He added: “It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that have a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases. I urge the media to join in this patriotic advocacy for the good of our electoral democracy.”

Acknowledging the media’s crucial role in the electoral process, Prof. Yakubu assured that the critical partnership between the Commission and the media would be sustained in “the best interest of our electoral democracy.”

He recalled that 114 accredited media organisations deployed 721 personnel to cover the recent off-cycle governorship election in Edo State, just as 112 orgnaisations deployed over 700 staff for the Ondo State Goverorship election.

As part of its electoral calendar, the Commission has released the Tmetable and Schedule of Acticvities for the Anambra State Governorship Election slated for 8th November 2025. Party primaries will commence on 20th March and end on 10th April 2025. In the same manner, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election will take place on 21st February 2026, with party primaries and nominations set for June 9 to 30, 2025.

Prof. Yakubu reiterated INEC’s commitment to improving election logistics and technology, following the widely praised Ondo State Governorship Election. “Every election or electoral activity presents its own unique challenge and an opportunity to learn lessons for improvement. We will strive harder to ensure the continuous improvement of our elections,” he pledged.

The INEC Chairman seized the opportunity to welcome the new President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahya, who was represented by the NUJ National Secretary, Mr. Chude Achike.

Achike reaffirmed the Union’s commitment to working closely with INEC, saying, “our future, our destiny in this country is already linked to one another. The success of INEC is the success of the Nigerian state.”

While acknowledging INEC’s budgetary constraints, the NUJ President urged the Commission to explore cost-effective measures in executing electoral activities, given the prevailing economic realities in Nigeria.

He also implored the Commission INEC to consider an alternative to the Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), such the national identity card, international passports, and driving licenses as a means of voter identification.

On the issue of electoral offences prosecution, Comrade Yahya echoed the call for the establishment of a specialized tribunal, stating that INEC should not be burdened with responsibilities beyond its core mandate of conducting elections.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated this on Tuesday during the maiden visit of the newly accredited Ambassador of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and West Africa, Mr Gautier Mignot to the Commission.

Yakubu also affirmed that the European Union’s (EU) partnership with the Commission and other stakeholders dating back several years, especially since the restoration of democracy in 1999, has contributed to the consolidation of the electoral and democratic process in the country.

The INEC Chairman observed that since the 2023 General Election, the Commission had received reports from many of the 206 national and foreign groups and international organisations, including the European Union Observation Mission (EU-EOM) accredited to observe the elections.

He said the EU-EOM) made 23 recommendations, eight of which require the Commission’s action, while 15 require actions by the executive, judiciary, legislative arms of government and other stakeholders.

Prof Yakubu noted that the Commission, in line with its tradition, undertook an extensive review of the 2023 General Election, producing a 524-page main report and a 74-page review report containing 142 recommendations. He said the Commission has already begun implementing aspects of the recommendations that only require its administrative action.

He explained: “For instance, in some of the off-cycle, re-run and bye-elections conducted since the General Election, there has been improvement in the quality of training of ad hoc staff involving the deployment of more BVAS machines for this purpose.

“There has also been tremendous improvement in the functionality of the BVAS in voter accreditation using fingerprint or facial authentication. Furthermore, election results are more speedily uploaded to the IReV.

“Voter registration in Edo and Ondo States ahead of the Governorship elections was better coordinated, and the collection of PVCs was almost seamless with 80 per cent of the cards collected by eligible voters.

“The perennial problem of logistics was also vigorously addressed in the recent Ondo State Governorship election. We are working hard to improve other aspects of electoral operations.”

The INEC Chairman welcomed the EU’s assurance of continuous engagement and collaboration with the Commission as the third phase of the European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) beckons.

Earlier in his remarks, Ambassador Mignot highlighted the importance of combating disinformation and ensuring transparency within the electoral processes. He noted that while democracy is unique as a system of government, it thrives on shared experiences and mutual learning.

The Ambassador commended Nigeria’s democratic progress and the adoption of innovative technologies, such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which, he averred, serve as examples of how technology can enhance electoral credibility.

The envoy stressed the EU’s dedication to remaining a neutral partner in Nigeria’s democratic journey, emphasising that its involvement “is not about imposing ideas but about sharing experiences to strengthen democratic institutions.”

“The EU is committed to maintaining close collaboration with INEC and other stakeholders to address emerging challenges while celebrating the successes of Nigeria’s evolving democracy,” he said.

The Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) fixed Saturday, Jan.18 for the LG elections in the 18 local government areas of the state.

This is contained in a statement on Thursday in Akure made available to newsmen by Mr Leye Igbabo, the PDP Director of Media and Publicity in the state.

“This decision is a product of several layers of consultations of party leaders, stakeholders and the national secretariat of our great party.

“Our party fielded 15 chairmanship candidates in 15 local government areas and 131 councillorship candidates.

“But, from all indications, ODIEC’s credibility, transparency, and impartiality have failed the integrity test.

“Recent observations and reports point to a troubling pattern of double standards by ODIEC, raising serious doubts about their ability to conduct a free, fair, and credible election,” the statement read.

According to the statement, PDP as a responsible political party, is committed to democracy and the rule of law

“The party cannot, in good conscience, confer legitimacy on a compromised process by participating in the election. This withdrawal is in line with our stance on integrity.

“We have, therefore, resolved to withdraw our participation in this exercise to uphold the integrity of our party and our unwavering belief in credible electoral practices.

“We further assure our teeming supporters, and the good people of Ondo State, that our commitment to sanitise the electoral process is irrevocable,” the statement read.

PDP Chairman in the state, Dr Bakitta Bello, who spoke with NAN on telephone, confirmed the party’s withdrawal from the elections.

(NAN)

The xCommission announced this in a statement posted on its X page titled ‘Destruction of Uncollected PVCs’.

The sstatement reads:

Our attention has been drawn to a newspaper report that the Commission is contemplating the destruction of over six million uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) going back to the 2015 voter registration.

The report is incorrect. At no time did the Commission contemplate the destruction of uncollected PVCs. The public is advised to discountenance the story