The independent Electoral Commission

According to the Constitution, the body is chaired by a Chairman (Chief Electoral Commissioner) and 12 other members, known as National Electoral Commissioners. INEC is composed of 9 Departments and 10 Directorates, 43 Divisions and 98 Units . As a permanent body, INEC comprises offices in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGA) of Nigeria. Although, INEC has acquired some experience in organising elections since the historical FEC in 1960, the credibility of the electoral process was always under question. It was in the attempt to address this issue that the government established the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) in 2007 with the aim of addressing institutional and structural challenges. ERC produced the Uwais Committee Report, which introduced positive changes to the electoral framework and continues to serve as a reference point for Nigeria’s electoral process. In October 2012, the Registration and Election Review Committee (RERC) among other issues recommended the unbundling and institutional restructuring of INEC. The implementation of these recommendations from (Uwais) has contributed to the improvement of quality of elections in Nigeria and the country’s progress in developing its democratic and political governance practices are widely recognised and acknowledged.