President Bola Tinubu has called for the approval of the dismissal of the Resident Electoral Commissioners of Abia, Adamawa, and Sokoto states, who have been suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for misconduct while they were serving as the officials of the commission.

President Tinubu requested their dismissal in a letter sent to the Senate and read by the president of the upper chamber, Senator Godswill Akpabio, during the plenary session on Wednesday.

The concerned Resident Electoral Commissioners are Ike Uzochukwu of Abia State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari of Adamawa, and Nura Ali of Sokoto, who were suspended over alleged misconduct during the 2023 general election.

The letter reads, “By Section 157, Subsection 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, I hereby request the Senate to consider and vote for the termination of the appointments of the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioners of Adamawa, Sokoto, and Abia states.

“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. I trust that the Senate will consider this request expeditiously. Please, accept, distinguished senators and Senate President, the assurances of my highest consideration,” the letter concluded.

Recall that the electoral commission, prior to the governorship elections, which were held on March 18, 2023, withdrew the Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abia State, Ike Uzochukwu and his colleague from Sokoto State, Nura Ali, over the allegation of endangering the electoral process by bungling logistics for the polls.

The two commissioners were also accused of deliberately refusing to declare the candidates contesting for seats at the National Assembly in their respective states. As a result, the electoral umpire barred the two RECs from officiating the governorship and National Assembly polls, stating that they would face more disciplinary actions for violating the electoral laws.

Similarly, the REC of Adamawa was suspended by the electoral umpire after contravening the Electoral Act and INEC Guidelines on state elections when he, instead of the State Returning Officer, grabbed the microphone and declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, the winner while the commission was yet to collate all the poll results.

His announcement threw Adamawa State into a state of confusion and near anarchy in which stakeholders called INEC to address the irregularities that emanated from its officials.

Responding to the development, the Independent National Electoral Commission intervened in the state of confusion by suspending the collation of results and summoning everyone involved in the process, including the REC, to Abuja. This led to his suspension and recommendation for dismissal.