Has Tinubu Sacked Mahmood Yakubu? INEC Finally Reacts

Has Tinubu Sacked Mahmood Yakubu? INEC Finally Reacts

  • INEC has dismissed the claim that its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has been sacked by President Bola Tinubu
  • Rotimi Oyekanmi, the chief press secretary to Yakubu, in a statement on Monday, April 7, urged Nigerians to dismiss the report and that it was not true
  • There has been a claim on social media that Tinubu has sacked Yakubu as INEC chairman and replaced him with Professor Bashiru Olamikan

FCT, Abuja - The claim that President Bola Tinubu has sacked Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been denied by the commission.

A viral message on WhatsApp has claimed that the INEC chairman was sacked and that the president had appointed Professor Bashiru Olamikan as his replacement. However, the WhatsApp message was not attributed to anyone.

INEC has dismissed the report that President Bola Tinubu has sacked Mahmood Yakubu as its chairman.
INEC says Mahmood Yakubu has not been sacked Photo Credit: @inecnigeria
Source: Twitter

The WhatsApp message reads:

“INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu.”.

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According to Vanguard, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the chief press secretary to Prof Yakubu, in his response to the social media claim, said, “Please, disregard. It is not true.”

When will Yakubu's tenure end?

Yakubu's second tenure as the chairman of the electoral commission is expected to come to an end towards the end of 2025.

To appoint another INEC chairman, President Tinubu will have to nominate a candidate whose particulars would be forwarded to the Department of State Services (DSS) for scrutiny.

Following the screening, the president will submit the name of the appointee to the National Council of State for its advisory and review. The next step is for the president to forward the name of the appointee to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu has not been sacked by President Bola Tinubu.
Presidency says Tinubu has not sacked INEC chairman Photo Credit: @officialABAT
Source: Twitter

Which INEC chairman conducted the 2023 election?

Legit.ng recalled that Yakubu conducted the 2023 presidential election that produced President Tinubu. The election was a keen contest between Tinubu, who was the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

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The outcome of the election was contested up to the Supreme Court by the opposition, including Atiku and Obi. The opposition has alleged that the election was not free and fair, and INEC, under the leadership of Yakubu, was accused of electoral malpractice in favour of the president.

However, the Supreme Court dismissed their allegations over a lack of evidence to back up their claims. Since the Supreme Court verdict, Atiku and Obi have remained fierce critics of Tinubu's administration but the presidency has not been quiet in responding to their criticism either.

Recall: Natasha thanked INEC, knocked Akpabio, Bello

Legit.ng earlier reported that Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan has thanked the INEC, as the electoral commission rejected her recall over a lack of constitutional compliance.

Natasha, who is currently under a six-month suspension over a lack of adherence to rules, warned Senate President Godswill Akpabio and ex-Governor Yahaya Bello.

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The embattled lawmaker recently accused the Senate President, Akpabio, of sexual harassment and vowed that his and Bello's days in politics were numbered.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Bada Yusuf avatar

Bada Yusuf (Politics and Current Affairs Editor) Yusuf Amoo Bada is an accomplished writer with 7 years of experience in journalism and writing, he is also politics and current affairs editor with Legit.ng. He holds B.A in Literature from OAU, and Diploma in Mass Comm. He has obtained certificates in Google's Advance Digital Reporting, News Lab workshop. He previously worked as an Editor with OperaNews. Legit’s Best Editor of the Year for Politics and Current Affairs Desk (2023). Contact: bada.yusuf.amoo@corp.legit.ng