Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is set to conclude his tenure in October or November 2025, completing the maximum two terms for a total of 10 years of service.
As this transition approaches, there is much discussion about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s potential choices for the new appointment. Nigerians are eager to see whether he will select a candidate from his own southwest or from the northcentral.
Yakubu’s departure and likely successor is drawing attention because out of the 12 chairmen who have led INEC since its inception, 10 have come from the south, while only two have come from the north.
As the tenure of the national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure ends later in 2025, Bashir Ahmad has urged President Bola Tinubu to address the alleged disparity in the agency’s leadership.
Ahmad, a former special assistant on digital communications to late ex-president Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, September 15, pointed out of the 12 chairmen who have led INEC since its inception in 1998, “only two have come from the north.”
We reports that Yakubu was appointed in 2015 by the then President Buhari (of blessed memory) for an initial period of five years. He was re-appointed in 2020 for another five-year tenure, which ends in October/November 2025.
This means that President Tinubu needs to appoint another INEC chairman before, subject to ratification by the senate.
Against this backdrop, Ahmad shared a list containing the names of all persons that have led INEC.
He wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter): “It is important to point out that out of the 12 chairmen who have led the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) since its inception, 10 have come from the South, while only two have come from the North. This stark imbalance should raise questions about equitable representation in one of Nigeria’s most critical democratic institutions.”
