‘How Tinubu stalled INEC chairman’s exit after send-forth dinner’

A quiet farewell dinner was held on June 15 at Abuja’s Continental Hotel for Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as he prepared to bow out after completing two terms in office.

The history professor, first appointed in October 2015 by then-President Muhammadu Buhari and reappointed in 2020, had already cleared his office and readied handover notes for one of the senior national commissioners. He planned to proceed on a three-month terminal leave starting in July.

But President Bola Tinubu, who was still considering options for a successor, asked Yakubu to stay on until the very end of his tenure, multiple presidential sources confirmed.

READ ALSO:Prof. Amupitan tipped as replacement for INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu

“For weeks around May-June, his staff piled out heaps of suitcases containing his personal effect, including books and newspapers. He literally emptied the office,” an INEC official said.

Yakubu’s early departure, according to associates, was intended to give Tinubu enough time to install a successor before preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify. His tenure formally expires on November 9 — just a day after the Anambra governorship election.

Although Yakubu made several moves to hand over — at one point considering May Agbamuche-Mbu, one of the most senior national commissioners — he was reportedly persuaded to wait, to avoid complications.

A similar handover scenario had unfolded in July 2015 when Attahiru Jega, Yakubu’s predecessor, left office. Jega handed the reins temporarily to Amina Zakari, making her the commission’s first female acting chair, before Buhari eventually appointed Yakubu as substantive head.

If Yakubu had stepped aside for Agbamuche-Mbu, she too would have made history in the same way.

For months, talk of who will replace the INEC boss has dominated political circles, sparking both rumours and intense lobbying at the highest levels of government.

(THE CABLE)