BREAKING: Tinubu’s Plan Exposed as Fresh Controversy Brews Over Next INEC Chairman

Debate has intensified over who will succeed INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu as his tenure draws to a close, sparking fresh political suspicions.

The camp of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Tinubu of plotting to influence the appointment of the next Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Atiku’s Special Assistant on Broadcast Media, AbdulRasheed Shehu, made the allegation in a post on X, claiming that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was preparing the ground for Tinubu to select a successor from the South West when Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s tenure ends in November.

Shehu alleged that APC was “conditioning Nigerians” by arguing that the South West had never produced an INEC chairman. He wrote:

“This way, when Tinubu selects someone from his region to lead INEC and succeed the unfortunate Yakubu Mahmoud, whose term is ending soon, it won’t come as a surprise. Dear Tinubu, please appoint your cousin as the Chairman. Nigerians are waiting for you at the polls.”

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The statement was shared alongside an infographic showing the geopolitical distribution of past INEC chairmen: seven from the South-South, three from the South East, one from the North East, and one from the North West.

Professor Yakubu, first appointed in 2015, has overseen two general elections (2019 and 2023) and multiple off-cycle governorship polls across Nigeria. With his second term ending in November, attention is shifting to who will be appointed to lead INEC into the 2027 general elections.