It was tribute galore for Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, yesterday, in Abuja, as stakeholders reeled out his achievements during his tenure in office.
Yakubu served as INEC National Chairman from October 21, 2015 to October 7, 2025.
Stakeholders, drawn from the Political class, Media, Civil Society Organisations ,CSOs, the Academic, Youth groups, Women groups, PWDs, and election observers, noted that Yakubu built strong partnerships with them, and promoted dialogue and transparency during his tenure.
They gave the commendations during the
Colloquium on the 10 Years of Leadership of the former INEC chairman.
The event tagged: “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Reflections on a Decade of INEC Leadership”, was organised by Centre for Transparency ,CTA.
While declaring the event open, the Executive Director of the Centre, Faith Nwadishi, described the tenure of Yakubu as one that brought about electoral reforms and technological innovations, which she said resulted in deepening political participation of all and sundry.
Corroborating her position, representatives of the political class, the Inter-Party Advisory Council ,IPAC, added that Yakubu ran an open-door policy, and held regular meetings with different political groups.
Media practitioners, representatives of the CSOs,
Academia, Youth groups, Women groups, persons with disabilities ,PWDs, and election observers, also alluded to Yakubu’s openness and accessibility, noting these were part of what made his tenure a success.
Representatives of youth, women, and PWDs applauded him for expanding voter education and prioritising their inclusiveness in both participation and policymaking.
In his keynote address, Prof.
Emmanuel Remi Aiyede, a professor of Political institutions, governance, and public policy, stated that Yakubu made members of the Academic proud with the reforms and innovations he introduced during his tenure.
He noted that Yakubu’s tenure as INEC chairman witnessed series of Electoral Reforms, and left a framework focused on technology-driven, and transparent elections, stating that Yakubu championed the digitisation of electoral operations, from candidate nomination and observer accreditation to result transmission.
Stakeholders noted that
Yakubu’s era ensured the Commission’s institutional autonomy, strengthened its operational credibility, and brought about the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System ,BVAS, and the INEC Results Viewing Portal ,IReV, which revolutionised voter authentication and result transparency.
They noted that through the Expansion of Voter Register
under his leadership, Nigeria’s voter register grew significantly, stressing that the Continuous Voter Registration ,CVR, System birthed under him
institutionalised a more flexible and continuous registration process, thus enabling Nigerians to register or update their details outside election seasons.
They also applauded his tenure as such that witnessed improved Election Logistics and Planning, resulting in early deployment of materials and improved coordination with security agencies.
They, however, called on the political class to be deliberate in ensuring the nation’s political institution grows, by refraining from acts capable of undermining the reforms and innovations that Yakubu brought about during his tenure.
Specifically, they warned against vote buying, thuggery, and deliberately undermining the system.
