President Bola Tinubu asked INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu to complete his tenure despite a private June send-forth dinner and Yakubu’s readiness to vacate office.
President Bola Tinubu intervened to keep Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in office after the electoral chief prepared to step down, TheCable reports.
Sources said Yakubu, who has served two five-year terms, cleared his desk and informed associates of his departure, even attending a low-key send-forth dinner at Abuja’s Continental Hotel on June 15. He planned to begin a three-month terminal leave in July and hand over to a senior national commissioner ahead of his November 9 tenure end.
“For weeks around May-June, his staff piled out heaps of suitcases containing his personal effect, including books and newspapers. He literally emptied the office,” an INEC official said.
However, Tinubu directed Yakubu to “hang on” while the search for a suitable successor continued, delaying a planned handover to Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu.
The Anambra governorship election is set for November 8, a day before Yakubu’s term expires, leaving the president little time to name a replacement.