By Kabiru Abdulrauf
With the tenure of the current Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, set to expire in November 2025, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to make public the selection and appointment process for his successor.
In a letter dated September 27 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP urged President Tinubu to reveal the number and names of candidates being considered for the top job, and to confirm whether the Council of State has been or will be consulted, as required by the Constitution.
The group also asked the President to revisit earlier appointments of at least three alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and to nominate non-partisan replacements.
According to SERAP, an opaque process risks eroding public confidence in INEC’s independence. The organisation stressed that transparency would help ensure the appointment of competent and impartial candidates, reduce potential conflicts of interest, and allow citizens to monitor the process closely.
Professor Yakubu, who has led INEC for a decade across two terms, will vacate office in November 2025. President Tinubu’s choice of successor will be subject to confirmation by the Senate — a decision widely seen as critical to safeguarding the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
