Professor Mahmood Yakubu has handed over to Mrs. May Agbamuche as the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Agbamuche, the longest-serving National Commissioner in the electoral body, assumes leadership following the completion of Professor Yakubu’s second and final term in office.

Yakubu announced the handover on Tuesday during an ongoing meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja. He urged commissioners and directors to extend their full support to Agbamuche until a substantive chairman is appointed.

Having completed a decade at the helm, Yakubu exits as the first INEC Chairman to serve two consecutive terms. He was first appointed in November 2015 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, six months after Buhari assumed office. He was reappointed for a second term in 2020, also by Buhari, following his completion of the first tenure.

Yakubu succeeded Professor Attahiru Jega and oversaw several electoral exercises, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections.

With his departure, attention has turned to President Bola Tinubu, who is expected to appoint Yakubu’s successor, subject to Senate confirmation. Civil society organisations and political observers have already called for transparency in the selection process.

Last month, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) urged President Tinubu to “urgently disclose details of the selection and appointment process for the successor to Professor Mahmood Yakubu.”

In a letter dated 27 September and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP also asked the President to “disclose the number and names of candidates for INEC chairman and whether the Council of State has been consulted or will be consulted, as constitutionally required.”

The group further urged the President to reconsider his earlier appointment of at least three alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), recommending that only non-partisan individuals be appointed to replace them.

“The selection and appointment process for Mr Yakubu’s replacement cannot and should not be ‘a closed shop’. A transparent and accountable process would serve legitimate public interests,” the letter read in part.

Also weighing in, the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said Nigeria needs a person of impeccable integrity and no political ties to lead INEC.