Professor Mahmood Yakubu has handed over to May Agbamuche as the Acting National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Agbamuche, the oldest serving National Commissioner at the electoral body, assumes leadership following the completion of Yakubu’s two-term, 10-year tenure.
Professor Yakubu announced the handover on Tuesday during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at INEC headquarters in Abuja. He called on commissioners and directors of the commission to extend their full support to Agbamuche until a substantive chairman is appointed.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to announce Yakubu’s successor soon, subject to Senate confirmation.
Yakubu was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015 to oversee the commission’s affairs, six months after Buhari assumed office. He was reappointed for a second term in 2020, making him the first person in Nigeria’s history to serve two consecutive terms as INEC chairman.
Under his leadership, INEC conducted several elections, including the 2019 and 2023 general polls.
With his exit, attention has now turned to President Tinubu’s impending nomination of a new chairman. Civil society organisations have already begun calling for transparency and non-partisanship in the appointment process.
