We’ll work with him – IPAC, NCP
By Abdullahi M. Gulloma and Bode Olagoke, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFUND), as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Yakubu’s appointment was ratified yesterday by the National Council of State, at an emergency meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Addressing State House correspondents after the meeting, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state, said his appointment was in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and in
consultation with the National Council of State.
He said the Council also ratified the appointment of the acting INEC chairperson, Mrs Amina Zakari, from Jigawa state, as national commissioner representing North-west, and some five others. They include; Dr Antonia Taiye Okoosi from Kogi state, representing the North-central; Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo from
Borno state, representing North-east; Mr. Soyebi Adedeji Solomon from Ogun state, representing South-west and Mohammed Mustafa from Edo state representing South-south. It also resolved that Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku, who is currently representing the South-east, should remain.
Yakubu, a Professor of Political History and International Studies, was former Executive Secretary of TETFUND as well as the Assistant Secretary, Finance and Administration, of the 2014 National Conference.
The new INEC boss bagged a B.A(Hons) History from University of Sokoto, now Uthman Danfodio University in 1985, with a first class, a record that till date remains unbroken, in the department. He was also at the Oxford university for his Master’s degree and not too long capped it with a PhD from Oxford University at age 29 in 1991.
The trained teacher was at different times at the University of Jos and the Nigerian Defence Academy, where he was until this appointment. Upon completing his assignment at TETFUND, he returned to NDA where he reportedly set up the institution’s School of Post Graduate Studies.
Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, Chief Ogbuehi Dike, and National Chairman, National Conscience Party, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, have described Yakubu’s appointment as INEC chairman as a welcome development, promising to work with him to consolidate on the success of his predecessor, Professor Attahiru Jega.
Reacting to the announcement yesterday in Abuja, both party leaders expressed their satisfactions with the development.
Tanko said: “The appointment is to take care of the lacuna existing in INEC so that there can be a good election in Bayelsa and Kogi states. That is a good decision at the right time.
That is a clear indication that Mr. President listens to the voice of the people to ensure there is no constitutional crisis during the elections and leaving a vacuum when the governors in Kogi and Bayelsa are out of office.
“So, it is a good step in the right direction, especially, when all the National Commissioners are now in place and decisions can be taken regarding these particular elections. So, I will urge the new chairman to be passionate about elections and democracy in Nigeria and to ensure that he is not biased in anyway. He should ensure that everybody has confidence in him, just like his predecessor, and ensure that our democracy moves in the right direction and take it to higher levels.”
On his own, Ogbuehi believed the appointment was just to fulfill the relevant sections of the Constitution.
He said: “But for the appointment of the new INEC chairman, the elections in Kogi and Bayelsa would have been an exercise in futility. Having done that, I think the President Buhari has obeyed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, it is a welcome development and we are happy about it.
“There is a standard that has been set by the immediate past chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega. We have the card reader in place and the only option left for him is to upgrade the card reader to function better.
We don’t expect anything less. He should also better our democratic system and good enough, the atmosphere is very conducive for him to operate right now.”
