President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to proceed on leave, according to sources familiar with the matter. The directive is said to be in response to what insiders have described as Yakubu’s “last-minute betrayal” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government that appointed him.
The move comes ahead of the expiration of Prof. Yakubu’s tenure and has reportedly thrown the commission into disarray, leading to the abrupt cancellation of scheduled meetings with political parties and civil society organizations.
According to a source, the decision was influenced by a meeting between President Tinubu and Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, following the president’s recent return from a working vacation. The governor allegedly accused Prof. Yakubu of disrupting the president’s plans for a second term by registering new political parties late in his tenure and covertly supporting a candidate in the Imo State governorship election.
Following the briefing, President Tinubu reportedly requested that Prof. Yakubu suspend all official duties and commence his terminal leave immediately. The president is now expected to nominate a new INEC Chairman to the National Assembly in the coming days.
Prof. Yakubu was initially appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015.
