TINUBU SET TO MAKE HISTORY? SOUTHWEST EYES FIRST INEC CHAIRMAN AS YAKUBU’S TENURE WINDS DOWN

Nigeria’s political landscape is bracing for a major shake-up as the tenure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the longest-serving chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), comes to an end next month.

Yakubu, first appointed in 2015 and reappointed in 2020, will bow out after nearly a decade at the helm, leaving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with the historic responsibility of naming his successor.

According to Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the president is empowered to appoint the INEC chairman, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The appointee must be at least 50 years old and of “unquestionable integrity” as stipulated in Paragraph 14 of Part I of the Third Schedule.

Shortlist Emerges Amid Power Calculations

Although Tinubu has kept his cards close to his chest, insider sources reveal that he initially leaned toward a South West candidate before widening the shortlist in response to political pressures.

Those currently under consideration include:

Justice Abdullahi Mohammed Liman, Court of Appeal

Prof. Lai Olurode, retired UNILAG don and ex-INEC commissioner

Kenneth Ukeagu, former INEC procurement director

Sam Olumekun, INEC’s current National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education

Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan, scholar and electoral expert


Notably, three of the frontrunners hail from the South West, while one each comes from the South East and North Central.

First Southwest INEC Chairman in Sight

Since Nigeria’s electoral body was unified, the South West and North Central remain the only zones yet to produce an INEC chairman. If Tinubu appoints a candidate from his own region, it would mark two historic firsts: the first South West INEC chairman, and the first time in history a sitting president handpicks an electoral chief from his own geopolitical zone.

Neutrality at Stake?

However, political observers caution that such a move could raise questions about neutrality and fairness.

“This is one of the most sensitive positions in Nigeria because it directly impacts elections in which the president himself has a stake. If Tinubu picks a South West candidate, it risks fueling suspicion and giving the opposition grounds to question the impartiality of the electoral body,” a top political source warned.

Historical Precedent

Past leaders have largely avoided this politically risky path:

Tafawa Balewa appointed Eyo Ita Esua (South-South)

Shehu Shagari appointed Michael Ani (South-East) and Victor Ovie-Whiskey (South-South)

Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Ephraim Akpata, Abel Guobadia (South-South) and Maurice Iwu (South-East)

Goodluck Jonathan appointed Attahiru Jega (North-West)

Muhammadu Buhari appointed Mahmood Yakubu (North-East)

Except for the brief acting stint of Amina Bala Zakari under Buhari, no president has ever installed an INEC chairman from his own zone.

As Yakubu prepares his exit, the nation watches closely. Tinubu’s decision could either burnish his legacy as a reformer willing to break historical patterns—or stoke controversy that could overshadow the next general elections.