For those familiar with Professor Mahmood Yakubu, a lecturer at the Nigerian Defence Academy, his choice by President Muhammadu Buhari as the new Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not a misnomer. The egghead, who parades first class materials in all he has undertaken in life administratively and academically, is always a delight to watch whenever and wherever the floor is yielded to him.
The situation was not different at the Senate on Thursday, when alongside other nominees; he appeared before the red chamber for the confirmation process.
Sauntering into the hallowed chamber exuding an aura of confidence, Yakubu, the erstwhile executive secretary of Education Trust Fund (ETF) which later metamorphosed into Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TERtfund), received banters from some few known faces in the chamber. Upon mounting the podium, he was welcomed by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki who asked him to tell the lawmakers some things he felt was left out of his CV or that he would wish to emphasise.
Prior to his coming, some national commissioners, five in all, appeared before the Senate. They are; Hajiya Amina Zakari from Jigawa (North-west), Mr. Solomon Adedeji Soyebi from Ogun state (South-west), Dr. Anthonia Taiye Okoosi -Simbine from Kogi state representing North-central, Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo from Borno state representing North-east, and Dr. Mohammed Mustapha Lecky from Edo state representing South-south zone.
Expectedly, unlike his commissioner nominees, Yakubu was on the firing line with questions coming from the lawmakers left, right and centre. When midway into the screening, Senator Sam Egwu requested a “bow and go” honour accorded some of the nominees, he was unanimously turned down. Egwu was of the view that the nominee’s headship of TERFTFUND stood out the agency as one of the performing parastatals under him (Egwu) as education minister.
In humility and candour, the academic opened his remark by intimating the lawmakers of his humble background as the child of a teacher, who by God’s grace and dint of hard work, came top in his in primary and secondary schools, and also his course of study at the then University of Sokoto (Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto) with a first class in history. With a humble but distinct career, the INEC boss, knew what he wanted and never looked back on realising this.
He strived for the top in his chosen career-teaching, and achieved it in a very brilliant way. At 21, he earned a B.A (Hons) History and in a space of eight years, he capped it all with both Masters and Ph.D degrees, thus making him a doctorate degree holder at age 29. And at age 36, he was already a professor at the University of Jos in 1998. A rare feat, one would say.
When it was question time, the teacher in him greatly manifested. He never disappointed as most of the lawmakers intermittently nodded in apparent acknowledgement of the stuff the INEC top man is made of. In fact, he spoke vividly as a student of history that he is, bringing some historical perspectives to bear on his response to issues raised.
The lawmakers took him up on card reader, alleged imbalance in the collection of voter’s cards, conduct of primaries by political parties, e-voting, Diaspora voting and of course how he hoped to truly operate independently of the power-that-be even at very critical moments. On the seeming lopsidedness in the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the crisis ridden Borno with higher collection figure and the peaceful Ogun state with lower collection, he said it was strictly a function and decision of an individual to or not to vote, just as it is to collect the PVC.
He said: “Of the 70 million registered voters, 56.6 millions PVCs were distributed, while 12.3 million were not distributed and 500,000 were not produced at all.
“I wish to complete this and then be faced with new ones for those that have come of voting age. I will ensure that every Nigerian gets the Permanent Voter Card (PVC). One thing I can assure is that whatever we need to do within the law to improve the electoral system, I will do. Life is about learning from our experiences. As far as election is concerned, we cannot have perfection. A lot was done in 2015 and 2019 will certainly be better.”
Yakubu, who expressed readiness to work for all Nigerians in tandem with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, declared very frankly that he cannot be intimidated in the course of service to his fatherland. “I cannot be intimidated in the service of this country. I can’t, it is too late. I have the character, I have the temperament to do the right thing.”
His recipe on tackling corruption in the nation’s electoral system, again speaks volume of certain lacuna often observed by political analysts.
For instance, the INEC boss stresses the need to amend the electoral law to create room for early party primaries, arguing that the present time frame between the primaries and main election was ‘short’. To this end, he promised consulting with political parties with a view to forwarding bills for necessary amendments to the Electoral Act, even as he challenged the National Assembly to come up with some amendments.
On alleged corruption among INEC staff, he admitted that the workers being Nigerians themselves are bound to manifest such trait, but clarified that the character of workers in the commission will certainly be guided by his own leadership style, emphasising discipline as his watchword.
He warned that “no election under my watch shall be won and lost at the INEC headquarters. Our mandate is to protect the sanctity of the votes of the Nigerian people and that we must do. No election shall be won and lost at INEC headquarters as well as the state offices.”
The controversial e-voting also formed part of Yakubu’s interactive session with the Senate. Describing it as both desirable and inevitable, he however called for caution, giving the experience of other nations like Venezuela.
To go into e-voting, the INEC boss submitted that there must be room for enough experimentation, especially with the country’s current infrastructural challenge, so the nation doesn’t get bogged down.
Commending his predecessor in office, Professor Attahiru Jega for laying a solid ground for the country’s electoral process, he said; “there must be no room for experimentation. “Something happened in 2015, we are to consolidate on that; we are going to consider the workability of the technology and consultation with stakeholders.
“With the card readers, we can accredit and vote instantly. Jega has done well. I am not coming in for experimentation; I am coming in for consolidation.”
Of course, the session ended on a note of assurance from Yakubu to Nigerians that he is one Nigeria that has his name to protect and ensure quality service to his fatherland. Like a prophet, he has been severally honoured outside his home. Of the eight awards from both the polytechnics and universities within Nigeria, all the five honorary doctorate degrees came from the South, with none coming from the North-east he comes from.
As a practical person, the new INEC helmsman has outlined before the nation his mission and vision, but this can’t be accomplished without necessary legal and legislative framework, which he wants improved upon.
And drawing from his career as a military trainer, he says “In NDA where I work, you sweat more in peace time, so you bleed less during war”. The time to start preparation for 2019 is now and now.
