The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has raised concerns over alleged plans by President Bola Tinubu to influence the choice of a successor to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
Atiku’s Special Assistant on Broadcast Media, AbdulRasheed Shehu, in a post on X, alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was laying the groundwork for Tinubu to appoint someone from the South West as the next head of the electoral body.
Shehu wrote: “The APC has shared this information with Nigeria to set the stage for our expectations. They are suggesting that ‘The South West has not yet chaired INEC.’
This way, when Tinubu selects someone from his region to lead INEC and succeed the unfortunate Yakubu Mahmoud, whose term is ending soon, it won’t come as a surprise.
Dear Tinubu, please appoint your cousin as the Chairman. Nigerians are waiting for you at the polls.”
His statement was accompanied by an infographic highlighting the geopolitical distribution of past INEC chairmen. According to the breakdown, seven have come from the South-South, three from the South East, one from the North East, and one from the North West.
Professor Yakubu, appointed in 2015, has presided over two general elections in 2019 and 2023, as well as several off-cycle governorship elections in states including Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti, Osun, Kogi, Imo, and Bayelsa. He is expected to leave office in November after completing his second term, paving the way for a new chairman to oversee the 2027 general election.
