Professor Mahmood Yakubu has resigned as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after a decade in office, handing over to May Agbamuche-Mbu, one of the commission’s most senior national commissioners.
The handover took place on Tuesday during INEC’s routine meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners at the commission’s Abuja headquarters.
Yakubu cited constitutional provisions under Section 36, Subsections 1 and 2 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as the basis for his decision.
He explained that stepping down now would give authorities time to appoint a permanent replacement and allow the new chairman to prepare for Nigeria’s complex electoral calendar.
“I hope this will give the appointing authorities adequate time to appoint a new chairman who can quickly settle into the task of conducting elections in Africa’s most demographically and logistically challenging environment,” Yakubu said.
Ms. Agbamuche-Mbu, selected after consultation with other national commissioners, will serve as Acting Chairman until a substantive appointment is made.
Looking back on his ten-year tenure, Yakubu acknowledged the difficulties of managing elections in Africa’s most populous country.
He thanked his colleagues and Nigerians for their support throughout his time in office.
“Together, we innovated and managed the commission’s enormous responsibilities, sometimes on the verge of breaking down,” he said.
“Above all, I thank Nigerians for their comments and criticisms, which encouraged us to persevere.”
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