INEC Chairman Yakubu Still in Office Despite Report of Terminal Leave

INEC boss Yakubu presides over meeting despite leave rumours.
Promotions approved for 471 junior staff as elections draw closer.
Constitution shields INEC chair from arbitrary removal.

Despite reports suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, to proceed on terminal leave, the electoral chief has continued to perform his duties.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that on Thursday, Yakubu presided over the commission’s weekly management committee meeting, where key decisions were taken, including preparations for upcoming elections and staff promotions.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed that the meeting reviewed arrangements for the Anambra State governorship election, the Federal Capital Territory Area Council election, and the conduct of party primaries for the Ekiti and Osun governorship polls.

“In addition, the meeting approved the 2025 promotion of 471 deserving junior staff (GL 03-06) of the commission on the recommendation of the Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee (APDC), in line with the Staff Conditions of Service. A total of 515 staff were shortlisted, out of which 214 met the requirements for promotion,” Olumekun said.

Yakubu, who was first appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and reappointed in 2020, is the first INEC chairman to serve two terms since the commission’s creation. His tenure is due to end in the first week of December 2025.

The online report had claimed Yakubu was instructed to suspend his duties, raising speculation about the commission’s schedule after its quarterly consultative meeting with political parties was abruptly postponed this week.

Reacting, Yakubu’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, urged Nigerians to focus on the legal provisions guiding the appointment and removal of the INEC chairman.

The 1999 Constitution, in Section 154(1), empowers the President to appoint the INEC chairman subject to Senate confirmation, while Section 157(1) stipulates that removal requires a two-thirds Senate majority based on incapacity or misconduct, ensuring protection from arbitrary dismissal.