On Tuesday, Mahmood Yakubu, who led Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a decade, officially stepped down and handed over to May Agbamuche-Mbu as acting chairperson.
Yakubu exited the commission before the official end of his tenure.
He formally tendered his resignation on 3 October, about one month before his tenure’s expiration.
In his resignation letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Yakubu requested that his resignation take effect on Tuesday, 7 October.
“Please accept, your excellency, my appreciation for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the electoral commission,” he said.
Yakubu had reportedly attempted to leave office months earlier, as his actual tenure completion date would fall in the middle of the Anambra State governorship election. The election is scheduled for 8 November, while his tenure officially ends on 9 November.
He first assumed office in 2015 after being appointed by the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who later reappointed him for another five-year term in 2020.
Sources told TheCable that Yakubu had planned to resign earlier, but President Tinubu asked him to remain in office while searching for a suitable successor.
Handover
During a meeting held at INEC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Yakubu handed over to Agbamuche-Mbu, who will act as interim chairperson until a substantive replacement is appointed.
At the session attended by National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), Yakubu thanked the staff for their loyalty and urged them to extend the same cooperation to Agbamuche-Mbu.
“I will forever cherish the support of successive Secretaries and staff of the Commission nationwide,” he said.
“Together, we innovated and managed the commission’s enormous responsibilities, sometimes on the verge of breaking down.”
Addressing the gathering, Yakubu said his decision to step aside was driven by the need to ensure INEC remains well-prepared for upcoming electoral duties.
He stated, “I have taken a decision and conveyed the same as provided by Section 36, Subsections 1 and 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended.
“In the interim, I am handing over to one of the most senior national commissioners by date of appointment. Following consultation with other national commissioners, Ms May Agbamuche-Mbu will serve in acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive chairman of the commission.
“I hope that this will afford the appointing authorities adequate time to appoint a new chairman. It will also enable the new chairman to quickly settle down to the task of conducting elections and electoral activities in Africa’s most demographically and logistically complex environment.”
