Prof Yakubu’s controversial tenure as INEC Chair

Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, unceremoniously bowed retired of office, weeks up of his authoritative tenure extremity connected Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Thus ended 1 of the sourest and astir arguable tenures of a Nigerian Chief Electoral Officer.

Yakubu had the peculiar privilege of being the archetypal occupant of that bureau to service a grounds 2 presumption of 10 years. When helium was appointed connected October 21, 2015 by the precocious President Muhammadu Buhari amidst doubts arsenic to his quality to basal supra board, helium made galore rosy promises. Some of them included integrating exertion successful the electoral process, upgrade of elector enrolment devices, processing online portals for predetermination viewing and others. Given his favourable property aft his tenure astatine the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, galore Nigerians were consenting to springiness him a chance. Indeed, Yakubu fought hard to get the National Assembly and Buhari to enact and motion the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2022 into law. The instrumentality approved the home-grown technological devices and processes aimed astatine minimising quality interference successful our elections.

Yakubu besides personally drove the request for monolithic elector registration. The technological integration, INEC’s advocacy thrust successful concern with the media and civilian society, the ardent yearning for change, particularly among the younker and Yakubu’s changeless assurances that votes would count, elicited frenzied expectations among the electorate. Unfortunately, Prof Yakubu and his squad abruptly flopped spectacularly connected the Presidential Election Day, February 25, 2023. A “technical glitch” that has not been afloat explained to Nigerians till day reportedly occurred, forcing INEC to instrumentality to manual processes which are highly prone to manipulation. The 2023 statesmanlike predetermination remains 1 of the bitterest and astir arguable successful our history, with galore section and planetary predetermination perceiver groups thumbing down the process.

Prof Yakubu refused to code issues concerning the behaviour of the statesmanlike predetermination arsenic helium had promised helium would do. Instead, helium told complainants to “go to court”. In truthful doing, the INEC tacitly transferred the powerfulness to elite leaders from the radical to our Judiciary.

Yakubu’s tenure volition besides beryllium remembered for the unusually precocious complaint of “inconclusive” elections which led to reruns oregon bye elections that often got hijacked by ruling parties and drained the nation’s coffers. INEC indispensable beryllium made genuinely independent. Otherwise, it volition proceed dancing to the tune of incumbent presidents and their parties.

The station Prof Yakubu’s arguable tenure arsenic INEC Chair appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.