President Tinubu Breaks Ground for INEC Annex Building in Abuja

By Iyojo Ameh

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, on Tuesday officially flagged off the construction of a new annex building for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Zambezi Crescent, Abuja, in a ceremony attended by top government officials, lawmakers, political party leaders, civil society groups, and electoral stakeholders.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who welcomed the President and other dignitaries, said the new facility is a much-needed expansion to complement the Commission’s overstretched national headquarters. Commissioned in 1997, the current building was originally designed to accommodate eight Commission members, ten departments, and 500 staff.

“Today, we have 13 Commission members, 22 departments and directorates, and 1,048 staff at the headquarters alone,” Yakubu said. “All our facilities—offices, meeting rooms, and support spaces—are grossly overstretched. Even general staff meetings are now held outside the Commission’s premises.”

In response to the space constraints, INEC had over the years resorted to renting office buildings in Wuse Zone II, he added. However, it was not until 2024 that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) stepped in with a long-term solution—culminating in Tuesday’s ground-breaking ceremony.

“This is not the first time the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has come to our aid,” Yakubu explained. “When we relocated from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, the FCDA provided us offices in Garki, which later became our FCT office. When that was no longer sufficient, they built the present headquarters. Now, 34 years later, they are once again intervening to help us expand.”

According to Yakubu, INEC’s own technical department designed the concept for the new annex, which is now being executed by the FCT Ministry. The facility will feature modern office spaces, multiple meeting and conference rooms, a 1,000-seat auditorium, and advanced IT infrastructure including a dedicated section for the Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC).

The building will also house a national election museum—intended to serve as a digital and physical archive of Nigeria’s electoral history. “This museum will be particularly useful to students and researchers who frequently visit the Commission for excursions and study visits,” Yakubu said.

The main INEC headquarters, located across from the new site, will remain the central administrative center, while the annex will support and complement its operations. “For me personally, this is a special moment,” Yakubu noted. “After nearly ten years of pushing for this expansion, we are finally breaking ground.”

Prof. Yakubu extended appreciation to President Tinubu for personally attending the ceremony and for supporting the initiative. He also thanked Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, the Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in the National Assembly, and leaders of political parties and civil society for their continued support.