Outgoing Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday bade farewell to his counterparts across West Africa, calling for renewed commitment to regional collaboration among election management bodies.
Yakubu spoke during the extraordinary general assembly of the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) held in Banjul, Gambia, marking his final participation in the forum as INEC chairman.
His appearance came amid recent speculations that he had been removed from office by President Bola Tinubu — rumours that intensified on Wednesday when Labour Party officials met with an acting chairman, Sam Olumekun, at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
However, Yakubu had earlier dismissed the claims by presiding over the Commission’s weekly management meeting on Tuesday. His Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, clarified that Yakubu was in Gambia attending the ECONEC meeting, and Olumekun only acted in his absence.
In his address, Yakubu reminded the assembly of the critical role electoral commissions play in safeguarding democracy across the sub-region. He lamented the reversal of democratic gains in West Africa, noting that while all ECOWAS countries were under democratic rule in 2017, four of them are now being governed by non-democratic regimes.
“Sadly, that is no longer the case,”; Yakubu said. “But I remain hopeful that democracy will soon return to those nations. We must continue to work together to strengthen our institutions and defend electoral integrity.”;
The INEC boss, who once served as President of the ECONEC Steering Committee, also paid tribute to former members of the network, acknowledging their efforts in promoting credible elections and democratic governance.
Yakubu’s tenure, which began in 2015 and was renewed in 2020, is expected to conclude later this year.
