Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Tuesday officially stepped down as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), handing over to National Commissioner, May Agbamuche, who assumes office in an acting capacity.
Yakubu, who was first appointed in 2015 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, completed two terms of five years each as head of the electoral body.
Speaking at a brief handover ceremony at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, the outgoing chairman thanked staff and stakeholders for their cooperation over the last decade. He urged them to extend the same support to the acting chairman pending the appointment of a substantive successor.
“I appeal to my colleagues in the Commission and the entire INEC workforce to continue working together in support of the Commission’s work and to give their maximum cooperation to the Acting Chairman,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to announce a new INEC Chairman in the coming days. Sources within the Presidency indicate that the matter will be a top agenda item during the Council of State meeting scheduled to hold later this week.
Agbamuche, who represents the South-South geopolitical zone in the Commission, will oversee the affairs of INEC in an acting capacity until a substantive chairman is appointed and confirmed.
Yakubu’s tenure was marked by the conduct of two general elections — in 2019 and 2023 — as well as multiple off-cycle and by-elections across the country.
