Nigeria’s top election official, Mahmood Yakubu, has handed over leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will serve as acting national chairman pending a substantive appointment by President Bola Tinubu.
Yakubu announced the transition on Tuesday during a meeting with resident electoral commissioners (RECs) at INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Agbamuche-Mbu, a lawyer and the longest-serving national commissioner representing Delta State, will oversee the commission’s activities in the interim.
In his farewell remarks, Yakubu thanked INEC staff for their cooperation during his tenure and urged them to extend the same support to his successor. “It has been a privilege to serve,” he said.
Agbamuche-Mbu joined the commission in 2016 and was reappointed in 2021 for a second term. She has been instrumental in election monitoring, legal compliance, and stakeholder engagement.
Her elevation follows INEC’s internal succession rule, which allows the most senior commissioner to assume acting leadership in the absence of a substantive chairman.
Yakubu’s departure marks the end of his two-term tenure that began in 2015. During his time in office, he oversaw the conduct of the 2019 and 2023 general elections and introduced key reforms such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, aimed at improving transparency and voter confidence.
The commission will continue preparations for the upcoming off-cycle governorship election in Anambra and the review of electoral guidelines and logistics under Agbamuche-Mbu’s interim leadership.
Yakubu’s exit comes amid renewed public debate over electoral reforms and proposals to strengthen INEC’s autonomy. The handover ceremony, attended by national commissioners and senior officials, signals the beginning of a new administrative chapter for Nigeria’s election management body.