The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released supplementary guidelines clarifying its powers and procedures for reviewing election results.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday following the Commission’s regular weekly meeting held on July 3, 2025.
According to the statement, the Commission has approved Supplementary Regulations and Guidelines No. 1 to the existing Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022, in response to varied interpretations of Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.
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The section empowers INEC to review any declaration or return made involuntarily or contrary to the law during an election.
“Clear procedures and timelines have now been provided,” Olumekun said, noting that the new rules have been uploaded to the Commission’s website and other public platforms for easy access.
Section 65 of the Electoral Act has remained one of the most debated provisions in Nigeria’s electoral law, granting the Commission discretionary powers to intervene in election outcomes deemed irregular or illegal.
However, critics have called for more transparency and structure in how those powers are exercised, a concern INEC now says the supplementary document addresses.
The development comes amid growing calls for electoral reforms to restore public trust in the integrity of Nigeria’s polls, especially after contentious outcomes in recent off-cycle governorship elections.
INEC also revealed that it has now received a total of 122 applications from associations seeking registration as political parties.
The latest figure includes 12 new applications submitted between June 23 and July 2, 2025. INEC had earlier disclosed it was processing 110 applications.
Olumekun assured Nigerians that the applications are being treated with fairness and transparency, in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022.
The Commission has published the names, acronyms, addresses, and interim leadership of the applicant groups on its official platforms.
However, the Commission flagged inconsistencies in leadership among some applicants, noting that….READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
