Former lawmaker, Usman Bugaje, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of overreaching and overstepping its constitutional role.
PrimeTimes Nigeria reports that Bugaje made this known on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, while reacting to a recent court judgment by Justice M.G. Umar, which has set limits on the electoral body’s powers.
Bugaje described the ruling as a declaratory judgment aimed at clarifying the boundaries of INEC’s authority in regulating elections, stressing that Section 29 of the Electoral Act clearly outlines INEC’s responsibilities while allowing political parties adequate time to prepare for elections.
According to him, the judgment was intended to caution the commission against interfering in the internal affairs of political parties beyond what is provided by law.
Bugaje alleged that INEC had recently acted in ways that suggested it was moving beyond its role as a regulator to becoming a stakeholder in the political process, and some opposition parties had been affected by its actions.
The former lawmaker said the court ruling also addressed the timeline earlier issued by INEC, adding that the 120-day period given by the commission would now extend to September, enabling political parties to conduct their activities within the law.
He said, “The judgment by Justice Umar is a declaratory judgment basically explaining to INEC that it is going beyond the powers that it has been given.
“Section 29 has clearly demarcated the powers that INEC has in regulating elections and to allow the political parties to properly prepare for the election.
“So what the judgment has done is basically to set limits for INEC because INEC has been overreaching and overstepping the bounds that the electoral law has given it. They’ve been interfering in ways that we have not seen before.
“We can see that clearly with some of the opposition parties. So I think the judgment of Justice Umar was basically trying to lead INEC to play its role properly because what it did earlier on was clearly designed to muscle the opposition. It went beyond what the law has provided, trying to move from regulator to stakeholder.
“When you appeal for a declaratory judgment, you’re basically trying to step beyond the bounds of a regulator into a stakeholder. What the judgment basically did was to say no, this 120 days that INEC gave will go up to September to allow the parties to do their work properly so that they can work within the law.”