At last, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has a new chairman in person of professor Mahmood Yakubu. He was a former Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND.
Prof. Mahmood was appointed on Wednesday October 21st 2015 by President Mohammadu Buhari. He will take over from the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Mrs. Bala Zakari, after long debate on whether she should be made substantive INEC chairman or not.
The National Council of States which had an emergency meeting in presidential villa, Abuja approved the appointments of the chairman and five other national INEC commissioners.
The council is normally chaired by the President with Vice President in attendance; 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.
The meeting had the presence of Vice President Osinbajo, former Heads of State, Generals Yakubo Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdusalami Abubakar, and Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Also in attendance are Speaker Yakubu Dogara, former Chief Justices of Nigeria which included Mohammed Uwais, Alfare Belgore and Idris Kutigi, and almost all the Serving governors.
Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, told State House correspondents on behalf of the meeting, that the situation in INEC necessitated the emergency meeting which approved the appointments.
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.
"In line with this, the Council considered and confirmed the appointments of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of INEC, Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari as member representing North West, Dr. Antonia Taiye Okoosi-Simbile as Commissioner North Central, Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo, from Borno as Commissioner representing North East, Dr, Mohammed Mustapha Lecky from Edo as Commissioner representing South South and Prince Soyebi Adedeji Solomon from Ogun representing South West.
"The Council has agreed to stagger the confirmation of this appointment of Commissioners of INEC in view of the situation we found ourselves presently whereby the tenures of individual commissioners expired almost the same time. "So, to avert future occurrence of such a situation the Council has agreed that the next 6 of the Commissioners should be submitted to the Council subsequently for its approval. These names have been approved and would be transmitted to the NASS for confirmation", according to him.
Responding to question of whether the forthcoming governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States were discussed in the meeting, Tambuwal said it was not a matter for the council but acknowledged that the new INEC chair and his team have the responsibility of conducting the elections
