I will soon leave the assignment as President of Inc, confirms prof. Yakubu

The president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu confirmed that his mandate as head of the Nigerian electoral body will end by the end of the year.

Yakubu announced the announcement while he turns to his colleagues at the extraordinary general assembly of the Ecowas network of electoral commissions (ECONEC) in Banjul, La Gambia, Thursday, reports politicsnigeria.

He said this would have been his last appearance in an Econec meeting as president of the electoral body of Nigeria, reporting the end of his second and last mandate.

Prof. Yakubu, who was president of Inc since 9 November 2015, was appointed by the former president Muhammadu Buhari for an initial five -year mandate, which was subsequently renewed for another five years. He supervised the controversial general elections of 2019 and 2023.

In his speech at the event, Yakubu expressed his gratitude for the support and collaboration of his Ecowas counterparts, underlining the importance of maintaining electoral integrity and promoting the regional unit. He also asked for a continuous cooperation between the electoral management bodies (EMB) in West Africa to strengthen democracy throughout the region.

The confirmation of Yakubu comes a few days after the voices circulated online by suggesting his removal from the office of President Bola Tinubu. These items were quickly denied by the presidency.

Speculation became stronger after I inec shared a post on social media, announcing that Sam Olumekun, indicated as an interim president, had hosted a high -level delegation from the Labor Party, led by the governor of the State Abia, dr. Alex Otti. This prompted the speculation that Yakubu had actually been replaced. However, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the main press secretary of the president of Inc, clarified that the OLUMEKUN was simply standing for Yakubu, who was participating in the Econec meeting in Gambia.

During his period in Banjul, Yakubu reflected on the results and challenges of his mandate with Econec. He praised the contributions of the past members of the network, who worked to strengthen democratic institutions in West Africa. He also expressed concern for the current state of democracy in the region, observing that four countries have recently fallen from democratic domain. However, Yakubu remained confident that these nations would soon return to democratic governance.

Yakubu address was welcomed with the support of other Emb heads, which recognized Econg’s vital role in supporting democratic practices throughout the region. The Assembly brought together presidents and vice-presidents of countries including Benin, Green Cape, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. [National Accord]