By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
NIGERIA’s ELECTORAL management body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has witnessed a leadership transition as May Agbamuche assumes office as Acting National Chairman following the completion of Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s two-term tenure.
Agbamuche, the oldest serving National Commissioner in the electoral body, formally took over from Professor Yakubu at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners held at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
During the handover, Professor Yakubu appealed for continued support from commissioners and directors of the commission for Agbamuche, pending the appointment of a substantive chairman by the President.
Professor Yakubu, who has led the commission for the past decade, leaves office after serving two consecutive terms, a tenure that began in November 2015 when he was first appointed by then President Muhammadu Buhari.
His reappointment in 2020 made him the first INEC chairman to complete two full terms in the history of the commission.
He succeeded Professor Attahiru Jega, under whose leadership the 2015 general elections were conducted.
During Yakubu’s tenure, the commission supervised several electoral exercises, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections, and introduced reforms aimed at improving election management and transparency.
With the end of Yakubu’s tenure, attention has now shifted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is expected to nominate a substantive successor.
The appointment, when made, will be subject to confirmation by the Senate, as required by the constitution.
Civil society organisations have begun calling for transparency in the appointment process.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), in a letter dated 27 September 2025 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, urged the President to publicly disclose details of the selection and appointment procedure.
The group requested information on the number and names of candidates being considered, and whether the Council of State has been consulted or will be consulted before the appointment is finalised, as constitutionally mandated.
SERAP further advised that the process “should not be a closed shop” and called for the replacement of any politically affiliated Resident Electoral Commissioners to uphold the neutrality of the electoral body.
Similarly, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, stated that Nigeria needs an individual of unblemished integrity to head the commission.
Speaking during a television interview, he emphasised that the next chairman must be independent, impartial, and courageous in enforcing electoral laws without fear or favour.
Itodo noted that public confidence in the electoral process depends largely on the credibility and impartiality of INEC’s leadership, urging the federal government to ensure a transparent appointment that strengthens the country’s democratic institutions.
