A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.
The former NBA chief said Yakubu has to leave his role as the INEC boss so as not to impede the electoral reform in Nigeria.
“Full congratulations go to President Tinubu for getting rid of Emefiele and Bawa and fuel subsidy and forex corruption. Endemic corruption has suffered a massive blow,” Agbakoba said in a statement signed by his spokesman Niyi Odunmorayo.
“Next is for the president to dismantle INEC. Everyone will agree that logistically, the 2023 elections are the worst in our history. I do not refer to the merits of the results of the elections.”
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Agbakoba, however, commended President Tinubu for “getting rid” of Godwin Emefiele as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
He also lavished praise on Tinubu for “getting rid” of Godwin Emefiele with AbdulRasheed Bawa, who were suspended as the bosses of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission respectively.
Agbakoba insisted that Yakubu, who faces mounting criticism over the conduct of the last general elections, must also be shown the door.
“Many results are disputed and are in Tribunals, both petitioners and respondents suffered at the hands of an incompetent INEC,” the senior lawyer said.
“As we await rulings from the courts massive reforms of the electoral framework ought to begin but this means that the INEC Chairman will have to leave office by resignation or removal, otherwise the reform task will be impeded.
“I add very quickly that the suggested reforms have nothing to do with the merits of election results at all.”
According to Agbakoba, both winners and losers of the 2023 general elections in the country were victims of the failure of INEC.
He also has the belief that a deep cleansing of INEC will enhance confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
Recall that the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari appointed Yakubu as INEC chairman in November 2015 to succeed Attahiru Jega who was in charge when the 2015 general elections were conducted.
In October 2020, Buhari reappointed Yakubu as the electoral commission chairman but the latter has faced heavy criticism since the conduct of the 2023 polls.
