The National Election Commission(NEC) has relented to an inspection by the state auditor into its snowballing nepotism scandal.

In a press release Friday, the election watchdog said that given the mounting public attention, it has decided to accept a probe by the Board of Audit and Inspection in order to swiftly defuse allegations and prepare for next year's general election.

The change of stance comes a week after the agency rejected such a proposal only to be met with public backlash.

However the NEC maintained that the BAI inspection is not compatible with the constitutional spirit stipulating NEC as an independent organization.

Still, it added that it is not desirable for the two agencies to appear mired in conflict over the scope of the auditor's inspection duties and vowed to file a petition on the matter for a review by the Constitutional Court.

The election watchdog has been rocked by allegations of favoritism shown in the employment process of some of its senior officials' children.