Renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, has called upon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take action on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu. Agbakoba suggests that Yakubu should either resign or be removed from his position.
Agbakoba made this statement on Thursday while congratulating President Tinubu on the suspension of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdurasheed Bawa, for their alleged involvement in fuel subsidy and foreign exchange corruption.
Speaking on the matter, Agbakoba stated, “After dismantling the CBN, EFCC, fuel subsidy, and others, the next focus should be INEC. It is widely acknowledged that the logistical issues faced during the 2023 elections made them the worst in our history. I am not referring to the merits of the election results; many of these results are disputed and currently before tribunals. Both petitioners and respondents suffered at the hands of an incompetent INEC.”
Agbakoba further emphasized that with pending court rulings and the need for extensive electoral reforms, the INEC Chairman would need to step down through resignation or removal to ensure that the reform process is not hindered. He clarified that the proposed reforms do not question the merits of election results, as both winners and losers were victims of INEC’s failure. A thorough cleansing of the institution, according to Agbakoba, will instill confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
President Tinubu, who has recently assumed office, has wasted no time in implementing various reforms. These actions include the unification of foreign exchange, the signing of the Students Loan Act, and the Data Protection Act.
