10/07/2025
BREAKING:
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu Steps Down as INEC Chairman, Hands Over to May Agbamuche-Mbu
After nearly a decade at the helm of Nigeria’s electoral body, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has officially stepped down as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In a brief handover ceremony at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Yakubu transferred leadership to May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will now serve as Acting Chairman. The event was witnessed by Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and senior INEC officials.
Yakubu’s exit comes one month ahead of the expiration of his second five-year term, which was due in December 2025. He was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2015 and reappointed for a second term in 2020, making him the longest-serving INEC Chairman in Nigeria’s history. His tenure oversaw two general elections and several off-cycle polls that defined Nigeria’s democratic trajectory.
Reliable sources revealed that President Bola Tinubu has directed Yakubu to proceed on terminal leave, reportedly following concerns from political quarters about some of his final decisions in office, including the registration of new political parties. The move was said to have been influenced by a briefing from Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, who accused Yakubu of working against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Meanwhile, reports indicate that President Tinubu is expected to nominate Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) as Yakubu’s substantive successor, pending approval by the Council of State, which is set to convene this Thursday. Amupitan, a legal scholar and longtime associate of Senator Dino Melaye, has been tipped as the preferred candidate to lead INEC into the next electoral cycle.
