October 8, 2025
After ten years in the saddle as the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, bowed out and handed over to May Agbamuche-Mbu as acting chairperson.
Checks showed that Prof. Yakubu formally resigned his appointment on 3 October, about a month ahead of when his tenure would have ended officially.
In his resignation letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, Prof. Yakubu, expressed his wish for the resignation to take effect on Tuesday, 7 October.
“Please accept, your excellency, my appreciation for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the electoral commission,” he said.
Prof. Yakubu had tried to leave office months earlier, as officially his actual tenure completion date would be in the middle of the Anambra State governorship election. While the election has been scheduled for 8 November, Mr Yakubu’s tenure expires 24 hours later on 9 November.
READ MORE; PRESIDENT TINUBU ACCEPTS INEC CHAIRMAN’S DEPARTURE, BESTOWS NATIONAL HONOUR ON HIM
He was first appointed into office as INEC Chairman 10 years ago in 2015 for a five-year tenure by late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who also reappointed him for another five-year tenure in 2020.
Sources told TheCable that the INEC Chairperson had planned to leave months ago, but Mr Tinubu asked him to wait while he headhunted for a suitable replacement.
During a meeting at INEC headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, Mr Yakubu handed over to Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu, who is the most senior national commissioner in the commission to serve in an acting capacity pending the appointment of a substantive chairperson.
While at the meeting attended by other National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, Prof. Yakubu appreciated all staff and asked them to extend the same support to Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu in acting capacity.
“I will forever cherish the support of successive Secretaries and staff of the Commission nationwide,” he said.
“Together, we innovated and managed the commission’s enormous responsibilities, sometimes on the verge of breaking down.”
