Nigeria’s leader, Bola Tinubu, has agreed to the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu from his position at the helm of the Independent National Electoral Commission now that his second five-year stint has drawn to a close.
With this change in place, the president plans to reveal Yakubu’s replacement shortly after a key advisory session in Abuja on Thursday, where he will put forward a shortlist of candidates for the top electoral role.
On Tuesday, Yakubu passed the reins to May Agbamuche-Mbu, an experienced lawyer, who has taken up temporary duties as acting leader until a permanent choice emerges.
To mark Yakubu’s contributions, Tinubu granted him the esteemed national award of Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Past presidents such as Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, along with regional leaders and other council members, are due to offer guidance to the president on selecting the next electoral chief.
A close aide to the president on media and planning matters announced on Tuesday that Tinubu expressed appreciation to the departing leader for his work in strengthening the country’s democratic foundations.
In the announcement, titled ‘President Tinubu Welcomes End of INEC Leader’s Term and Grants Him National Award’, it stated: “The president commended Professor Yakubu for his commitment to the country and his drive to uphold democracy, especially by overseeing unbiased and equitable votes during both periods of his leadership.
“To honour Yakubu’s steadfast efforts for the nation, President Tinubu has awarded him the rank of Commander of the Order of the Niger.
“The president further instructed Professor Yakubu to transfer responsibilities to the longest-serving national commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will oversee the commission’s operations until the selection of a full-time successor wraps up.”
In a note dated 3 October 2025, Yakubu thanked the president for the chance to guide the commission across two full terms.
Tinubu, in response, praised him for maintaining the nation’s democratic health and running polls he called “unbiased and just” throughout his time in charge.
Yakubu first stepped into the role in November 2015 as the commission’s 14th leader for an initial five years.
After approval from the upper house of parliament, he received another five-year extension in 2020, which has now ended.
Across the ten years, Yakubu managed the 2019 and 2023 national polls, plus various smaller contests.
His time in office saw the rollout of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System to check identities at voting spots and the Results Viewing Portal for real-time public glimpses of local tallies.
In November 2021, the commission tested the accreditation tool in the Anambra state leadership race, marking its debut in a full regional vote.
It appeared next in the capital territory’s local council elections and select state leadership contests in Ekiti and Osun during 2022.
The tool became standard across the land for the 2023 national elections, as required by the updated voting law of 2022.
Yakubu set up ongoing sign-ups and refreshes for voter lists, moving beyond one-off drives before polls.
Under his watch, the count of voting locations grew sharply, drawing the process nearer to more neighbourhoods nationwide.
The former leader also backed a fixed schedule for contests while boosting ties with political outfits, community watchdogs, global monitors, and news outlets to sharpen supervision and build faith in the system.
He launched the Election Monitoring and Support Centre, plus other forecasting tools to gauge results at voting sites via key measures.
During his era, the commission added aids for those with disabilities, early voting slots for seniors and at-risk groups, and better ways for uprooted residents to join in.
Even under heavy political strain and close public gaze, Yakubu kept the body’s autonomy intact. He repeatedly stressed staying neutral and following legal rules.
That said, his leadership faced backlash, as the 2023 vote hit snags with tech faults and hold-ups pinned on breakdowns and slow uploads.
Rival groups often charged the commission with leaning towards one camp, particularly in nail-biter races. At some sites, supplies arrived late or guards slipped up, especially in tense zones.
On top of that, low turnout and doubts about vote honesty lingered as issues all along.
On the push for updated rules in choosing a new leader, a top legal mind, Ifedayo Adedipe, brushed aside the rising chatter on who should pick the electoral head, calling it a sideshow from Nigeria’s core ruling and voting woes.
In discussing the row over selection methods, Adedipe wondered at the obsession, noting how ex-leader Goodluck Jonathan chose Professor Attahiru Jega, who then ran the 2015 contest that Jonathan dropped.
“Didn’t Jonathan pick Professor Jega? And didn’t Jonathan bow out after that vote? We ought to turn our eyes to bigger matters instead of fussing over pickers and picks,” he remarked.
Adedipe held that the hurdles hobbling Nigeria’s votes stem not from the top figure but from how politicians and everyday people behave.
“Does the electoral head show up at voting spots? Hardly. Come vote day, leaders hand out cash to choosers—they dub it ‘peek and purchase’. Those are the bits worth fixing, not who does the picking,” he pointed out.
For him, vote soundness hinges on the traits and actions of people and officers, not the corner office holder.
“The incoming leader won’t guarantee smooth votes. It boils down to our true selves,” Adedipe wrapped up.
Dayo Adedeji, another senior legal voice, stood by the president’s right to name Yakubu’s follow-on.
He noted: “Indeed, he holds that authority, pending review by Nigeria’s upper house. Clauses 153 and 154 of the founding law spell it out. I see no basic flaw in the president making the call.
“We have built-in safeguards via the upper house’s nod, letting public views ring through. It’s key that any choice faces a deep, unbiased probe.”
Adedeji, though, urged wide-ranging talks before any pick to land a balanced outcome.
“There was once a panel on reshaping the commission that suggested barring the president from ongoing picks of the head, but sadly, that shift never took hold.
“So, the topic bubbles up now, with word today that the current head has filed his retirement and the top national commissioner, Mrs Agbamuche, steps in as caretaker. Thus, I firmly believe there’s a bid by this president to weave in openness and freedom into choosing the head.
“As things stand, the president selects, but shares the names with the advisory council. You know, that council includes regional heads, the deputy leader, ex-leaders, ex-top judges, and more. Right now, it’s just for suggestions.
“They can’t outright block it. So, voices call for deeper tweaks, like some floating the top court as picker. Yet, my honest take rests on the stature and worth of the chosen one.”
Wale Balogun, a further senior counsel, floated a trustworthy picking method, adding that the current safeguards suffice to yield a solid electoral guide.
He went on: “So, I hold firm that we simply need to tighten the steps so a trustworthy figure emerges, with a setup that can fairly probe such picks.
“The tweaks and balances we have today can deliver a solid pick, but the setup as is remains so frail that it might not curb the president if he taps someone unfit for the spot. That’s my worry.”
The expert saw a strict probe as the path to a sound voting framework.
At a gathering with local vote overseers, where he transferred duties to national commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu as temporary head on Tuesday at the commission’s Abuja base, Professor Yakubu clarified he was leaving per Clause 306, Parts 1 and 2 of the 1999 founding law (as updated).
“With big tasks looming, and after the pride of leading the commission these past ten years—with mere weeks left in my time—I have decided.
“For now, I pass to one of the longest-tenured national commissioners by start date. After chats with fellow national commissioners, May Agbamuche-Mbu will fill in temporarily until a full head arrives.
“I trust this gives the choosers ample space to name a new leader. It will also let the fresh head bed in swiftly for running votes and vote tasks in Africa’s trickiest spot by crowd size and setup needs.
“From 2015, I teamed with 24 national commissioners and 67 local vote chiefs, plus the commission’s workers. Folks deep in votes or wise on vote running grasp what it takes. I’ll always value the backing from ongoing secretaries and staff countrywide,” he shared.
Yakubu thanked workmates, partners, watchdogs, aid groups, and all Nigerians for their parts in backing vote flows during his watch.
He singled out National Youth Service Corps members as “some of the best-schooled, most devoted, and sharpest vote hands I’ve joined.”
“Most of all, I thank Nigerians for their views and knocks, which spurred us on rather than slowed us.”
As a goodbye gift, Yakubu shared two books tracing the commission’s efforts under him: ‘Running Votes in Nigeria 2015–2025’ and ‘Fresh Ideas in Vote Tech 2015–2025’.
“What’s left is my hope that the Almighty keeps blessing our land and our free rule,” Yakubu said while passing to Agbamuche-Mbu.
He continued: “It’s my joy now to pen my official transfer notes and hand them to Agbamuche-Mbu. From there, I’ll bow out.”
Before departing, the outgoing head sketched the commission’s groundwork for coming contests, like next month’s Anambra state leadership vote, the capital territory’s local council race in February 2026, Ekiti’s state head pick in June 2026, and Osun’s in August 2026.
He also noted that “the commission has kicked off groundwork for the 2027 national votes” while awaiting approval of “an updated voting law now with the lawmakers’ lower house.”
“Past these checks, the commission must further tidy the choosers’ list, rethink spots for some voting sites and their user splits, and handle party inner picks as a prime task,” he added.
Yakubu mulled the haul and hurdles of steering Nigeria’s vote machine, spotlighting threats like unrest, weather woes such as floods, and tweaks for displaced folks’ balloting.
“Year by year, we notched wins in tackling hitches and tracking our fresh ways. We’ve locked in a fingerprint-based choosers’ roll and swapped many hand-done steps for digital tools and apps,” he said.
He reeled off new tools from his lead, like tech for pinning vote spots, online drills, tracking party funds, and watching contests via the Election Monitoring and Support Centre.
“We’ve truly advanced far, but much more awaits,” he admitted.
Prior to vote steering, Yakubu, born in May 1962, ran the Education Trust Fund as its top officer.
Ex-leader Muhammadu Buhari named Yakubu to the commission’s top spot on 21 October 2015 after upper house okay, and he started on 9 November 2015, following Professor Attahiru Jega.
In 2020, he got a rare second five-year go-ahead, again backed by the upper house—the first such in Nigeria’s free-rule tale.
Agbamuche-Mbu brings over three decades as a legal guide for varied public and private clients.
She joined as national commissioner in 2016.
From Delta State but born in Kano, she schooled at St Louis Secondary. She took her law degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1984 and joined Nigeria’s bar in 1985. She later earned solicitor status at England’s top court via London’s College of Law. Agbamuche-Mbu also has a master’s in business and company law from Queen Mary and Westfield College in London, plus further studies in global dispute settling and world business law.
A specialist in out-of-court fixes, she belongs to the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ Nigeria arm, where she once served as scribe. From 2010 to 2011, she stood alone as legal aid on the Presidential Projects Check Panel, which eyed key stalled public builds nationwide. In 2016, she sat on the team drafting a growth map for solid minerals.
Before the commission, Agbamuche-Mbu led her Lagos law outfit, Norfolk Partners, and edited THISDAY LAWYER, a noted weekly legal spot. From 2014 to 2016, she penned 120 legal pieces under her popular Legal Eagle banner.
Meanwhile, the lower house speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, vowed parliament’s drive to lead shifts in voting, money matters, and safety.
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