President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the National Assembly’s approval to remove three suspended Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over alleged misconduct during the 2023 general elections.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio conveyed the request in a letter during Wednesday’s plenary session.
The affected commissioners are Hudu Yunusa-Ari (Adamawa), Ike Uzochukwu (Abia), and Nura Ali (Sokoto).
Mr Yunusa-Ari was suspended on 17 April 2023 after he unilaterally declared Aisha Binani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, as the Adamawa State governorship rerun winner while collation was still ongoing.
His announcement was widely condemned as illegal, and INEC swiftly nullified it. Subsequently, he was charged with unprofessional conduct at the Adamawa State High Court.
Earlier this year, his attempt to halt court proceedings was dismissed for lacking merit.
Mr Ali, the Sokoto electoral commissioner, was suspended on 6 March 2023 through a letter signed by INEC Secretary Rose Orlaran-Anthony.
While INEC did not explicitly state the reasons for his suspension, reports suggested it was linked to alleged irregularities in the conduct of elections in the state.
In his letter to the Senate, President Tinubu emphasised that the suspensions occurred before his administration took office and requested legislative backing to formally remove the electoral officials.
“The Senate is invited to note that the three resident electoral commissioners have been suspended for misconduct since March 2022 before the advent of the current administration,” he said.
