Tinubu goofs again, appoints new INEC REC while tenure of current commissioner is yet to expire

President Bola Tinubu has goofed by nominating Etekamba Umoren from Akwa Ibom state as a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) when the tenure of the current commissioner from the state has yet to expire, Premium Times reports.

According to the report, the tenure of Monday Udo-Tom, an indigene of Akwa Ibom and currently the Delta State REC, will expire in January.

Therefore, if Mr Umoren is sworn in as REC, having been cleared by the Senate, the state would have two of its indigenes in that position, clearly violating the laws of the land.

Last week, the president nominated Umoren alongside nine others as RECs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Umoren and one other newly-appointed REC are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), an affiliation that made their nominations and subsequent appointments illegal.

Umoren also has a political link with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, having served as chief of staff to Akpabio when the latter served as governor of Akwa Ibom.

Tinubu committed a blunder with Umoren’s nomination, as the REC from Akwa Ibom, Udo-Tom, has until January 2024 before his five-year tenure expires.

He was sworn into the electoral commission on 30 January 2019, meaning his five-year tenure ends in January 2024 and that there currently needs to be a vacancy for the position Umoren was appointed to fill.

The Nigerian constitution, which created the office of REC for each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), states that all RECs must serve for a complete tenure of five years.