The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yusuf Dantalle, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s comments on the credibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
NEWSNGR recalls that Tinubu, while receiving the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the State House in Abuja on July 29, 2026, had described INEC as a neutral institution.
However, speaking during an appearance on Arise Television, Dantalle argued that the president’s defence of INEC could raise concerns about the perceived independence of the electoral body.
He insisted that the President should not speak on behalf of the electoral umpire and must be seen as a leader above party interests.
Dantalle said while the President is entitled to his opinion, matters concerning INEC’s credibility and performance should be addressed by the commission itself.
“First, he’s a Nigerian, and he’s entitled to his opinion about the electoral umpire. But as the President of Nigeria, you are the President of both your party and the party in opposition, and that of INEC. Some statements must not be seen to be credited or coming from the President, especially of this magnitude. While the President is not the spokesperson of INEC and doesn’t work in INEC, I do not agree with the President making such remarks, because he is not the spokesperson of INEC. IPAC would not make such statements, but allow INEC to defend itself,” he insisted.
Dantalle added that IPAC would continue to engage with INEC and assess the commission’s preparedness ahead of the elections.
He said the council would await the outcome of the mock accreditation exercise and other assessments before making further comments on the electoral body’s level of readiness.
“INEC is to say this because recently we had engagement with INEC; we had some deeper engagement with INEC recently, and there are so many issues. Our problem is not with INEC as a body, but the laws with which INEC is operating within. IPAC has made some observations, which we put in the form of recommendations and amendments to the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on the Constitution and Electoral Act Amendment on things to be done. As long as we do not address the foundation to some of our problems and we keep looking at the symptoms, these things will continue.
“We will still cross-examine INEC on some of the things that we think Nigerians need to know about their level of readiness. But we are waiting for the mock accreditation and a few other variables that we’ll talk about in due course,” he said.
