Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned President Bola Tinubu’s nomination of the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as a non-career ambassador.
In a statement released on Thursday, Atiku argued that the nomination is morally indefensible, sending the wrong impression to the current INEC leadership to envision a potential reward after the upcoming presidential election.
Atiku, who was the main challenger in the 2023 election, sees the nomination as a dangerous precedent that undermines public trust in democratic institutions.
Atiku stated that under no circumstance would he as President nominate the immediate past INEC Chairman for an ambassadorial position, stressing that it appears as political reward, rather than a recognition based on merit.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu stepped down as the INEC chairman in October 2025, after serving for nearly 10 years and overseeing the 2019 and 2023 general elections.
Despite introducing technology like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (iReV) to enhance transparency, Yakubu’s tenure ended amid heavy criticism, particularly regarding the electronic transmission of results during the 2023 polls.
The nomination has been criticized by civil society groups, including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, which described the timing as “ill-timed, inappropriate, and injurious to… independence.”
Critics warn that the appointment creates an unmistakable impression of reward for political favour conferred by the principal beneficiary of the election he conducted, thereby damaging public confidence in the democratic practices of the country.
The Senate is being urged to decline the confirmation to safeguard the independence of INEC and prevent the normalization of political patronage for electoral officials.
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