Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, 10th October 2025, handed over the leadership mantle of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria, to National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu as acting Chair of the Commission.
“I sincerely thank all members of the Commission for their support and professionalism over the years. I urge you to extend the same level of commitment to my successor,” Yakubu said during his last official meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the INEC Headquarters in Abuja.
He expressed gratitude to his colleagues and staff for their cooperation and dedication throughout his two terms, spanning 10 years from 2015.
During his tenure, Yakubu oversaw two general elections in 2019 and 2023, several off-cycle governorship and legislative polls.
The Commission under his leadership introduced major electoral reforms, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) for electronic voting and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as well as the expansion and consolidation of polling units, thereby reducing the distance between voting centres nationwide.
As INEC Chair, Yakubu also re-positioned the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), steering the umbrella body of electoral commissions in West Africa to impact transformation, especially as President of its Governing Board 2017-2019, and facilitating the establishment of the Network’s Permanent Secretariat in Abuja.
Agbamuche-Mbu, the longest-serving National Commissioner representing Delta State, will oversee INEC affairs pending the appointment of a substantive chairman by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
A seasoned legal practitioner with over three decades of experience working with diverse clients in the public and private sectors, she graduated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1984 with an LLB in Law.
After her call to the Nigerian Bar in 1985, she attended the College of Law, London, and qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales. With an LLM and specialisation in Commercial and Corporate Law from Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, Agbamuche-Mbu also completed two postgraduate degree programmes in International Dispute Resolution and International Business Law, respectively.
She is also an expert in Alternative Dispute Resolution and a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of the United Kingdom Nigeria branch, serving as a former Secretary to the Institute.
Agbamuche-Mbu has served on the Presidential Projects Assessment Committee (PPAC) as the sole solicitor, and in 2016, she was appointed a member of the Ministerial Committee on The Road Map for Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector.
Before she was appointed a National Commissioner for INEC, Agbamuche-Mbu was the managing partner of her law firm, Norfolk Partners, and also Editor of THISDAY LAWYER, a weekly legal pullout in one of Nigeria’s influential newspapers.
From January 2014 to September 2016, she published over 120 legal editorials under her column LEGAL EAGLE. Her exposure to public affairs puts her in a unique position to build a reputable body of commentary and expert opinion in many specialized areas and her work remains a source of public advocacy on national and international issues.
Appointed in 2016 and reappointed for a second term in 2021, Agbamuche-Mbu has played significant roles in election monitoring, legal compliance, and stakeholder engagement within INEC.
Yakubu’s departure comes amid calls for national restructuring, deeper electoral reforms and constitutional review to better manage Nigeria’s diversity, and enhance INEC’s independence and operational efficiency.
Tuesday’s handover was witnessed by INEC national commissioners, directors, and other senior management staff, marking the start of a new chapter in Nigeria’s electoral administration, with a crucial 2027 presidential vote in view.
*An Award-winning
Journalist, Paul Ejime is a Media/Communications Specialist and Global Affairs Analyst*
