President Muhammadu Buhari has presented the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, for a second term in office.
In a letter to President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, the President said in accordance with the provision of Section 154 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), “I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate, the nomination of Professor Mahmood Yakubu for appointment as Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a second and final term.”
Prof Yakubu was first appointed by President Buhari in November 2015.
Yakubu was born in 1962 and is a Nigerian academic and current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mahmood was appointed to office by President Muhammadu Buhari on 21 October 2015, succeeding Amina Zakari, who served as acting chairman in 2015.
Yakubu is a lecturer, guerrilla warfare expert, and Professor of Political History and International Studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Prior to his appointment as Chairman of INEC, Mahmood served as the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, being appointed to office in 2007 by then-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
During his tenure as secretary, a National Book Development Fund was established, supporting 102 journals of professional associations.
Yakubu also served as Assistant Secretary of Finance and Administration at the 2014 National Conference. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary fellowship to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
On 7 January 2019, he released a new voting system for the 2019 general election.
