TheCable

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the electoral body is still working with the election timetable it released earlier.

He said this while reacting to the change in the sequence of the elections by the national assembly.

In the amended election timetable recently adopted by both the senate and the house of representatives, the national assembly election will come first, followed by governorship and state house of assembly before the presidential.

This is contrary to the sequence of the election in the timetable INEC had released, in which the presidential election comes first.

Speaking at the quarterly consultative meeting with the media in Abuja, Yakubu said the commission is operating based on its existing timetable.

He, however, added that if the change is effected, the commission will “proceed accordingly”.

“If the bill is assented to, we will look at the provisions and inform Nigerians on the next step,” he said

“But as far as the commission is concerned at the moment, we are operating under the existing law and we have issued a timetable for the activities accordingly.

“If something happens tomorrow, we will examine it and proceed accordingly.”

On whether the commission will challenge the amendment in court, the INEC chairman said “there is no legal lacuna at the moment.”

“What we have done is on the basis of the existing law and nothing has changed,” he added.

Last week, Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the commission, faulted the amendment.

He said the action undermines the independence of the electoral body as well as its powers as provided in the constitution.