President Bola Tinubu has accepted the departure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the expiration of his second term in office.
Prof. Yakubu was first appointed as the 14th chairman of the commission in November 2015 for an initial term of five years, which was renewed in 2020.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, President Tinubu’s Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, thanked Professor Yakubu for his services to the nation and efforts to sustain Nigeria’s democracy.
The President recognised Yakubu’s dedication to organising free and fair elections throughout his two-term tenure.
As a token of appreciation for his dedicated service, President Tinubu bestowed on Professor Yakubu the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
The President also directed that Yakubu hand over to the most senior national commissioner, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, who would oversee the affairs of INEC until a new chairman is appointed.
Yakubu officially stepped down on October 7, 2025, and handed over to Agbamuche-Mbu during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners in Abuja.
Agbamuche-Mbu will serve as Acting Chairman of INEC pending the appointment of a substantive chairman by President Tinubu.
During his tenure, INEC introduced significant reforms, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
Yakubu’s leadership oversaw the conduct of two general elections in 2019 and 2023, as well as several off-cycle governorship and legislative polls.
