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Banjul, Gambia – April 10, 2025 — The Chairman of Nigeria’s Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has confirmed his impending departure from workplace, marking what he described as his last public look as INEC Chairman.
Yakubu made this disclosure whereas addressing fellow electoral officers on the Extraordinary Basic Meeting of the ECOWAS Community of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) in Banjul, Gambia. His remarks have now put to relaxation mounting hypothesis surrounding the tip of his tenure, which is formally scheduled to conclude in November 2025.
“This marks my final participation on this gathering because the INEC Chairman. I deeply recognize the cooperation I’ve acquired from my colleagues throughout the sub-region,” Yakubu acknowledged, calling for stronger collaboration amongst West African election administration our bodies and emphasizing the necessity to shield democracy within the area, particularly in nations at the moment below navy regimes.
Yakubu’s assertion comes in opposition to the backdrop of latest political rumblings in Nigeria, with hypothesis a couple of attainable elimination by President Bola Tinubu gaining traction following Yakubu’s absence throughout a high-profile go to to the INEC headquarters by opposition celebration leaders. INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, had clarified that the Chairman was on official task overseas, with Nationwide Commissioner Sam Olumekun serving in appearing capability.
As Yakubu prepares to bow out, consideration has now shifted to who succeeds him. Political discussions are reportedly heating up in Abuja, with debates centering round regional steadiness, credibility, and professionalism. Whereas some advocate for the subsequent INEC Chairman to emerge from a zone outdoors the Southwest—on condition that no Yoruba individual has ever headed the Fee since 1960—others argue that competence, neutrality, and integrity must be the deciding elements.
Professor Yakubu, who made historical past as the primary INEC Chairman to be appointed for 2 phrases, has overseen two normal elections and a sequence of off-cycle polls throughout his tenure.
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