Professor Mahmood Yakubu has resigned as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after a decade at the helm, of stewarding Nigeria’s electoral process.
Yakubu formally stepped down on Tuesday during his last quarterly meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja.
He cited Section 306 of the 1999 Constitution, explaining that the move was intended to ensure a seamless leadership transition as the Commission prepares for a busy electoral calendar.
By consensus of the National Commissioners, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, the most senior commissioner, immediately took over in an acting capacity. She will lead the commission pending the appointment of a substantive chairman by the Federal Government.
In his farewell remarks, Yakubu highlighted the digital transformation achieved under his stewardship. These reforms include biometric voter registration, electronic result transmission, and the introduction of online systems for candidate nomination and election monitoring.
“Together, we built a foundation for credible elections in Africa’s largest democracy,” Yakubu declared.
He credited the success of his tenure to the cooperation of political parties, the National Peace Committee, civil society organizations, security agencies, the media, and particularly the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, whom he hailed as “the most patriotic election officials.”
To document his legacy, the outgoing chairman unveiled two publications now available on the INEC website: “Election Management in Nigeria 2015–2025” and “Innovations in Electoral Technology 2015–2025.”
Yakubu’s resignation comes as INEC faces a wave of major elections: the Anambra governorship poll next month, the FCT Area Council vote in February 2026, and the Ekiti and Osun governorship contests later in 2026.
He confirmed that preparations for the 2027 general elections have already commenced.
His exit marks the close of what many observers have described as a transformative era for Nigeria’s electoral system. Yakubu concluded the session by inviting the commissioners for a farewell photograph before officially handing over the leadership to Agbamuche-Mbu
