By Amah
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Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has proceeded on terminal leave.
Consequently, he handed over to May Agbamuche-Mbu, a National Commissioner who has taken over as the Acting Chairman of the electoral body on Tuesday.
The development was announced during a stakeholders’ meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Yakubu told the gathering that it was his “last as chairman.”
He disclosed that he decided to quit after a decade in the office in accordance with Section 306 of the 1999 Constitution to ensure a smooth transition as INEC prepares for a busy election cycle.
May Agbamuche-Mbu was chosen to replace him in acting capacity by a consensus of the National Commissioners. She is the most senior commissioner.
Reflecting on his tenure, Yakubu, who was appointed in 2015, highlighting major electoral reforms, such as biometric voter registration, electronic result transmission, and online nomination systems.
“Together, we built a foundation for credible elections in Africa’s largest democracy,” he said.
Yakubu expressed appreciation to political parties, the National Peace Committee, civil society groups, security agencies, the media, and particularly members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), whom he described as “the most patriotic election officials.”
He also unveiled two publications documenting his tenure, Election Management in Nigeria 2015–2025 and Innovations in Electoral Technology 2015–2025. The two books are available on INEC’s website.
