The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended further annual leave for its staff and announced an increase in salaries and allowances as part of efforts to strengthen its preparations for the 2027 general elections.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, announced the measures during a meeting with commission staff in Lokoja, Kogi State.
The suspension of further annual leave is coming as INEC intensifies efforts to put necessary arrangements in place ahead of the 2027 polls.
INEC earlier commented on the leadership crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The commission disowned a publication circulating on social media which claimed that it had reaffirmed the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the opposition party.
The publication, which featured INEC’s logo and the image of its National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, was described by the commission as unauthorised.
In a statement posted on its social media handles on Friday, INEC urged Nigerians to disregard the publication, insisting that it had not issued any such reaffirmation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, INEC has issued no such reaffirmation,” the commission stated.
The electoral body advised members of the public to obtain information about its activities only through its official and verified communication channels.
The clarification followed a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja which nullified the David Mark-led caretaker leadership of the ADC and invalidated actions taken by the party’s executives.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, also raised questions about the party’s nomination of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
The court ruled that the Mark-led caretaker committee lacked the legal authority to exercise control over the party and organise activities, including the process that produced its candidates.
The case was instituted by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman of the ADC, who argued that he was constitutionally entitled to assume the party’s leadership following the resignation of former National Chairman Ralph Nwosu.
The ruling has since generated reactions from the Mark-led faction of the party, which described the judgment as an attempt to weaken opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections.