Niyi Ijalaye, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun State, tragically passed away after slumping in his hotel room in Abuja on Monday evening, August 20.
The incident occurred shortly after Ijalaye attended a crucial meeting at the INEC headquarters, presided over by Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the commission.
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The meeting, which focused on the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Ondo and Edo states, as well as elections for seven vacant seats at the national and state assemblies, had seen Ijalaye active and in apparent good health before his sudden death later that evening.
Although there has been no official announcement from INEC or Ijalaye’s family, a source within the commission confirmed the tragic news to TVC News. The loss of the Ogun State REC comes at a sensitive time as the nation prepares for significant electoral activities.
INEC is the body responsible for conducting elections across various levels in Nigeria, including the presidential, governorship, national, and state assembly elections. Recently, there have been calls for the national assembly to empower INEC to conduct local government elections, following a Supreme Court ruling that granted financial autonomy to local governments.
In response to this, Barrister Oladotun Hassan, president of the Yoruba Council Worldwide, emphasized the need for INEC to oversee all elections in Nigeria, including those at the local government level.
He argued that centralizing electoral oversight under INEC would streamline the process and avoid unnecessary duplication of resources.
