In spite of some shortcomings, Yakubu’s INEC symbolises hope
At a brief ceremony during a regular consultative meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja last Tuesday, Mahmood Yakubu handed over to the most senior National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, as the commission’s acting chairman. Right on cue, President Bola Tinubu nominated a Professor of Law, Joash Amupitan, SAN, to step into Yakubu’s shoes as chairman of the electoral body, a decision that has been approved by the National Council of State (NCS). All that is left for Amupitan is the stamp of approval from the Senate, which is expected. While Nigerians await the incoming era at INEC, it is important to reflect the one that has just ended.
Appointed in October 2015 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, and reappointed in 2020, Yakubu has perhaps remained the most consequential chairman of the electoral body since inception. The first chairman from Nigeria’s Northeast zone, he served the maximum two-term tenure of 10 years, a feat in the commission’s history. During the period, along with dozens of national commissioners and RECs, Yakubu presided over the 2019 and 2023 general elections, numerous off-cycle governorship elections, and hundreds of other re-run and bye-elections. “Together, we innovated and managed the commission’s enormous responsibilities,” noted the Professor of Political History and International Studies in self-appraisal, “sometimes on the verge of breaking down.’’