The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has confirmed that his tenure as Nigeria’s chief electoral officer will officially come to an end later this year, putting to rest recent speculations about his position.
Prof. Yakubu made this known on Thursday while speaking at the opening of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) in Banjul, The Gambia. He addressed fellow electoral commissioners and representatives from across West Africa, saying it would be his last time attending the ECONEC gathering in his current capacity.
“This is my final meeting with you as INEC Chairman,” Yakubu said, expressing gratitude to his colleagues in the region for their support and cooperation over the years.
Yakubu’s public statement comes just days after social media was flooded with rumours that President Bola Tinubu had sacked him from office. The unverified reports, which circulated widely online, claimed that he had been replaced by a certain Professor Bashiru Olamilekan.
Although the Presidency did not officially respond to the rumours, Yakubu’s announcement seems to put the issue to rest, confirming that he remains in office and that his exit will come through the proper constitutional process at the end of his tenure.
Professor Yakubu was first appointed as INEC Chairman in November 2015 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. He was reappointed for a second term in 2020, making him the first INEC chairman to serve two terms since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999.
During his remarks in Banjul, Yakubu, who once served as the President of ECONEC’s Steering Committee, used the occasion to reflect on democratic progress in West Africa and the role of election management bodies in protecting electoral integrity.
He recalled the optimism that surrounded a 2017 ECONEC meeting in Sierra Leone, where it was proudly announced that all countries in the West African sub-region were under democratic rule.
“Unfortunately, we cannot say the same today,” he said, voicing concern that democracy is no longer practiced in four countries within the region.
While Yakubu did not name the countries, recent military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger have brought democracy in those nations to a halt. The coups have sparked fears of democratic backsliding in West Africa, a region that once showed strong signs of democratic consolidation.
Despite these setbacks, the INEC Chairman expressed hope that democracy will return to the affected nations and urged fellow electoral commissions to remain committed to their roles as protectors of democratic values.
Yakubu also took time to honour past members of ECONEC who played key roles in promoting credible elections and democratic institutions in the region.
He commended the current leadership of ECONEC for keeping the organisation active, despite challenges facing many electoral bodies.
“I must thank the ECONEC Secretariat and leadership for ensuring that this network continues to be a voice for democratic progress and electoral transparency,” he added.
The Banjul meeting was attended by heads and deputy heads of electoral bodies from 11 countries in the region, including Benin Republic, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
One major theme of the gathering was the need for closer cooperation among electoral bodies in West Africa.
Yakubu encouraged his colleagues to keep working together, especially in sharing knowledge, building capacity, and offering technical support to one another.
“Collaboration among EMBs is more important now than ever,” he said. “We must stand together to defend the democratic ideals our people deserve.”
Other electoral commission leaders echoed Yakubu’s sentiments, noting that ECONEC’s support had been instrumental in improving electoral processes in their countries.
Many praised the network’s role in offering technical assistance, training, and election observation missions during key national polls.
While in Banjul, Prof. Yakubu is also scheduled to join the current ECONEC President, Konneh Mohamed Kenewui of Sierra Leone, in a series of meetings with Gambian stakeholders. These engagements are part of ECONEC’s Needs Assessment Mission ahead of The Gambia’s presidential election scheduled for 2026.
The mission will involve consultations with government officials, civil society organisations, and other key groups to understand what kind of support the country may need to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
Yakubu’s presence in the delegation underlines his ongoing commitment to strengthening electoral systems in the region, even as his time at INEC winds down.
During his tenure, Prof. Yakubu oversaw some of the most significant electoral reforms in Nigeria’s recent history. Under his leadership, INEC introduced the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), aimed at improving transparency and reducing election fraud.
While these innovations were widely praised, the 2023 general elections attracted criticism over technical glitches and delayed results transmission, especially during the presidential vote. Opposition parties and civil society groups questioned the credibility of the process, although the results were upheld by the courts.
Despite these controversies, many observers credit Yakubu with modernising Nigeria’s electoral system and promoting voter confidence, especially during off-cycle elections in states like Anambra, Ekiti, and Osun, where BVAS was more successfully deployed.
As 2025 approaches, attention will now turn to who will succeed Yakubu as INEC chairman. The role is one of the most sensitive positions in Nigeria’s democratic structure, and whoever takes over will be tasked with preparing for the 2027 general elections.
By law, the President appoints the INEC chairman, subject to confirmation by the Senate. With Nigeria’s democracy still evolving, the choice of the next electoral chief will be closely watched both at home and abroad.
For now, Professor Mahmood Yakubu has made it clear that he will leave office through the front door, on his own terms, after a decade of steering the electoral commission through turbulent waters.
