The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday entered a new phase of leadership as Professor Mahmood Yakubu formally stepped down after completing his second term, handing over to May Agbamuche-Mbu as acting chairman.
Yakubu announced his exit during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, calling on the management and staff to extend the same loyalty and commitment shown to him over the years to his successor.
“I am grateful for the support I received during my tenure, and I urge you all to continue to give your utmost dedication to the service of our democracy,” he said.
Agbamuche-Mbu, who represents Delta State on the commission, is currently the most senior national commissioner. A lawyer by profession, she joined INEC in 2016 and was reappointed in 2021. Over the years, she has played critical roles in election monitoring, legal compliance, and stakeholder engagement.
Her emergence as acting chairman follows INEC’s administrative tradition, which stipulates that the most senior national commissioner takes charge until the president appoints a substantive head.
Yakubu, first appointed in 2015 and reappointed in 2020, presided over two general elections in 2019 and 2023, as well as several off-cycle polls. His tenure was marked by major electoral reforms, including the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), innovations aimed at improving transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process.
While his leadership has been praised for pushing technological reforms, it also drew criticism from sections of the public and political actors who questioned the credibility of some elections conducted under his watch.
Agbamuche-Mbu now faces the immediate task of steering the commission through ongoing preparations for off-cycle elections, including the Anambra governorship poll later this year, as well as overseeing reviews of electoral guidelines and logistics.
Her leadership comes at a time when calls for sweeping electoral reforms and constitutional amendments to strengthen INEC’s independence are growing louder.
The handover, witnessed by national commissioners, directors, and senior staff of INEC, officially closed a chapter in Nigeria’s electoral history and opened another under Agbamuche-Mbu’s watch
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