Professor Mahmood Yakubu has officially handed over the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Mrs. May Agbamuche, the longest-serving National Commissioner, who will serve as the Acting Chairman.
Professor Yakubu announced this on Tuesday at the ongoing meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
May Agbamuche is a seasoned legal expert with over three decades of experience in law, dispute resolution, and public service.
She was born in Kano and hails from Delta state, reflecting a blend of northern and southern Nigerian cultural influences.
The transition comes after Yakubu completed his two-term tenure of 10 years as INEC chairman.
Professor Yakubu was first appointed as INEC chairman by former President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.
He completed his first term in 2020 and was reappointed for a second term, making him the first person to serve as INEC chairman for two terms. During his tenure, INEC conducted several elections, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections.
In his parting message, Yakubu urged the commissioners and directors to extend their full support to Agbamuche as she leads the commission until a substantive chairman was appointed.
President Bola Tinubu is expected to nominate a new INEC chairman soon, subject to Senate confirmation.
Last month, Civil society groups, including the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), have demanded transparency in the selection process for the new INEC chairman.
SERAP has urged President Tinubu to disclose the number and names of candidates for the position and whether the Council of State has been consulted or will be consulted in making the appointment.
The group stated this in a letter by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, a copy obtained by Channels Television.
According to the letter dated September 27, the group asked Tinubu to “use the opportunity of the appointment of a new INEC chairman to reconsider your appointment of at least three alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the INEC and to nominate non-members of a political party as replacement.
“The selection and appointment process for Mr Yakubu’s replacement cannot and should not be ‘a closed shop.’ A transparent and accountable process would serve legitimate public interests,” the letter partly read.
Also commenting on the appointment of a new INEC chairman, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, emphasised the need for an individual with an unblemished character as the national chairman of the electoral body.
He said that Nigeria needed an individual with an unblemished character as the national chairman of the electoral body.
Itodo said anyone who would succeed Yakubu, should have no political affiliation and be courageous to do the lawful thing, no matter whose ox is gored.
The Yiaga Africa leader spoke when he appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, September 24, 2025.
