President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has acknowledged the exit of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the completion of his second term. Yakubu, who was first appointed in November 2015 for a five-year term and reappointed in 2020, concluded his tenure due to the expiration of his term.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, praised Yakubu for his contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, particularly for overseeing free and fair elections during his tenure. As a mark of recognition, Tinubu conferred the national honor of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on Yakubu.
Yakubu handed over the leadership of INEC to May Agbamuche-Mbu, the most senior national commissioner, who will serve as acting chairperson until a new substantive chairman is appointed. During his time as chairman, Yakubu led INEC through the 2019 and 2023 general elections, as well as various off-cycle governorship and legislative elections.
His tenure saw the introduction of key electoral reforms, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (iReV) portal, designed to improve transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.
