The National Council of States (NCS) rose from its first meeting under the administration of Muhammadu Buhari with the ratification of the recommendation of the President for the appointment of the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).
The Council also approved the recommendation to name the Ag. Chairman of the Commission, Amina Bala Zakari, a former Ag. Chairman of the Commission, Prince Solomon Adedeji Soyebi, Dr. Muhammad Mustapha Lekki and Dr. Taiye Okoosi-Simbile as National Commissioners.
Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, which lasted for about one hour inside the Council Chambers, Sokoto State governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal along side his Abia State counterpart, Dr. Ifeanyi Ikpeazu, Tambuwal said the action of the President followed the massive retirements of most of the National Commissioners in place during the last dispensation.
Yakubu, a Professor of History served as the Assistant Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration in the just concluded National Conference. If their appointment is ratified by the Senate, Mrs. Zakari from Jigawa State and Soyebi from Ogun State would be serving their second term as National Commissioner of INEC. While Zakari’s term just ended, that of Soyebi, who handed over to the immediate past Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega as Ag. Chairman, following the sacking of Prof. Maurice Iwu in 2011, is staging his second come back.
