Nigeria's President Buhari Appoints Mahmood Yakubu as INEC chairman

ABUJA–President Mohammadu Buhari on Wednesday appointed Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Yakubu who is taking over from the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Mrs. Bala Zakari was the former Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND.

The president also appointed other five national commissioners including Zakari.
The appointments followed an approval by the National Council of State which had an emergency meeting, being the first under president Buhari, at the presidential Villa, Abuja.
The council is usually chaired by the President had Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; all living former Presidents and Heads of State; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; all living former Chief Justices of Nigeria and all state governors among others as members.
Accordingly, Wednesday meeting attracted the presence of Vice President Osinbajo, former Heads of State, Generals Yakubo Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdusalami Abubakar, and Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Also, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, former Chief Justices of Nigeria which included Mohammed Uwais, Alfare Belgore and Idris Kutigi, as well as almost of the Serving governors graced the meeting.
Addressing State House correspondents on behalf of the meeting, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal stated that the situation in INEC necessitated the emergency meeting which approved the appointments. He however stated the names remained to be confirmed by the Senate.
He said: “As the first Council meeting in the life of this administration, the Council received a memo on the nomination of Chairman and five Commissioners for INEC. This is in conformity with the provisions of the constitution of Nigeria particularly Sections 154 (1 and 3 and 156 (3) that confers on the President the powers to appoint a chairman and national commissioners of INEC, in consultation with the Council of States.
“The situation in INEC as at today is such that requires for this emergency meeting to approve the nominations by Mr. President, because the law requires that a minimum of four commissioners should form a quorum in INEC, which is not the case as today, because the tenures of 11 of national commissioners of INEC had expired.vanguardngr