By Our Reporter

Members of the House of Representatives have invited Joash Amupitan, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to brief them on the umpire’s readiness for the 2027 general election.

The invitation was sequel to a motion co-sponsored by Mansur Soro (APM, Bauchi) and Abdussamad Dasuki (ADC, Sokoto) during plenary on Wednesday.

Soro, the motion’s lead sponsor, told his colleague that the credibility, transparency, and acceptability of the 2027 elections would largely depend on INEC’s preparations, including voter registration, voter education, personnel training, security coordination, and the timely implementation of the election timetable.

He expressed concerns about operational challenges reported at some continuous voter registration (CVR) centres nationwide, including inadequate registration equipment, staff shortages, network disruptions, and long waiting times.

Soro said these challenges could restrict access to voter registration, particularly for first-time voters, rural residents, persons with disabilities, students and workers, if not addressed promptly.

The lawmaker said the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election offers useful lessons on election administration, technology deployment, logistics management, stakeholder engagement, security, and voter participation, which should guide preparations for the forthcoming general election.

The legislator said early institutional preparedness is crucial to procuring election materials on time, deploying technology, recruiting and training personnel, conducting effective voter education, planning security, assessing electoral risks, and managing logistics nationwide.

“Any delay in addressing existing operational gaps in voter registration, logistics, technology deployment and funding may adversely affect public confidence in the electoral process and compromise the peaceful conduct of the 2027 general election,” he said.

He asked lawmakers to invite Amupitan to, within seven days, brief the house on the commission’s readiness for the 2027 elections, including progress of continuous voter registration, the status of PVC production and distribution, the readiness of election technology and logistics, mapping of challenging areas, recruitment and training status of election officials, budgetary appropriations, funds released, outstanding releases and the implications of any funding gaps on implementation timelines.

However, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker, rejected the demand that Amupitan should brief lawmakers during plenary.

Kalu proposed that Amupitan appear before the committee on electoral matters, and any lawmaker may attend the session.

The deputy speaker’s proposal passed when Tajudeen Abbas, the speaker, put it to a voice vote.

By Tony Chuddy 

The National Democratic Congress, (NDC, has dragged  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to court over it’s alleged refusal to list it’s governorship candidate in Kano state, Abdusalam Gwarzo for the 2027 election in the state

NDC filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the exclusion of Gwarzo, from the list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The party wants the court to order INEC to include Gwarzo’s name on the list, maintaining that he has met all the requirements to contest the forthcoming governorship election.

An NDC chieftain and member of the Kwankwasiyya movement, Yusuf Kofarmata, who announced the legal action, urged party supporters to remain hopeful while awaiting the court’s decision.

Kofarmata expressed confidence that the court would rule in the party’s favour, allowing Gwarzo to participate in the governorship race despite his absence from INEC’s published list.

The lawsuit comes amid uncertainty over the NDC’s participation in the Kano governorship election, as the party seeks legal intervention to resolve the disagreement with the electoral commission.

The party is seeking to protect its political interests and ensure its preferred candidate has the opportunity to contest the election.

Meanwhile, Kofarmata has encouraged supporters to remain committed to the party and continue their political activities as the legal process unfolds.

By Nkem Okereh 

The federal government has assured that it would put measures in place to ensure the smooth sailing of State police and prevent it’s political hijack and manipulation by states and influential private persons 

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who gave  the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja, said the proposed National Policing Bill would provide enforceable limits on police powers, independent oversight and mechanisms for redress to protect citizens against abuse as the country moves towards decentralised policing.

He also warned that private sector funding of state police must not become a channel for businesses or wealthy individuals to influence investigations, secure preferential treatment or compromise the independence of police institutions.

The Chief of Staff, who is also chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, spoke during a plenary session on “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit

He said, “The concern that police powers could be used against political opponents or vulnerable communities is serious. Our answer is to place enforceable limits on those powers and provide remedies when they are abused.

“A citizen’s entitlement to protection cannot depend on whom he supports or where she comes from.”

This is even as Lagos and Kano states have signed the State Police Bill, bringing the number of states that have said yes to the proposed project to 27

Gbajabiamila said the framework must ensure that policing remains a public service accountable to the law rather than to political interests or private patrons, warning that states seeking to establish their own police services must demonstrate the financial capacity to sustain them, stressing that the inability to pay salaries, fund training and maintain operations could leave officers vulnerable to improper influence.

“Financial readiness is equally important. A state taking on policing must be able to sustain the service after the initial purchase of vehicles and uniforms.

“Regular pay and continued training are essential to professional conduct. An institution that cannot meet its obligations to its officers becomes vulnerable to private patrons and unlawful demands on the public.

“Public funding must remain dependable, and a donation must never purchase influence over an investigation or preferential treatment. The object is to strengthen a public service on which every citizen can rely,” he said

He urged the organised private sector to take its proposals into the legislative process and engage governors and lawmakers on the funding and accountability mechanisms required to make the new policing arrangement effective.

He said the Presidential Working Group had submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice on 19 October for legislative review.

According to him, the proposals would be presented to President Bola Tinubu for approval after the review and the working group’s final consideration, before transmission to the National Assembly.

“Bringing policing closer to the communities it serves can improve local intelligence and shorten the time between a call for help and an effective response

“Nigerians living with the threat of abduction or attack are entitled to judge us by their own safety. We recognise the distance between an improvement in national capacity and dependable protection in every community,” he said.