The upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, by President Muhammadu Buhari, as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the second term of five years.
The confirmation followed the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on INEC, led by Senator Kabiru Gaya, which submitted its report at plenary and recommended Yakubu for confirmation.
Yakubu was first appointed chairman of the electoral commission in November 2015 by President Buhari, who nominated him for a second term in October 2020.
Yakubu had temporarily stepped down after the expiration of his tenure in November, and handed over the affairs of the agency to the retired Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Mu’azu, an INEC national commissioner.
All the senators, who spoke before his confirmation, described him as highly qualified for the job.
With this confirmation, Yakubu is now set to return to his role to oversee the affairs of the electoral umpire for the next five years.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Gaya, recommended that Yakubu’s reappointment be confirmed because of his great track record over the past five years, with other senators praising the INEC boss, describing him as a fair and just administrator.
Senator Sam Ugwu said, “I want to urge him to continue the good work and to ensure that our elections are free and fair, and that the votes of Nigerians will continue to count.”
