Tinubu Honours Mahmood Yakubu with CON as He Exits INEC Chairmanship

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) on Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following his completion of two tenures in office.

The announcement was made on Tuesday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed that Tinubu had accepted Yakubu’s departure from the electoral body.

Yakubu, who first assumed office in 2015, officially bowed out on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, after a decade of overseeing Nigeria’s electoral processes. He handed over leadership of the commission to May Agbamuche-Mbu, the most senior National Commissioner, who will now serve as Acting INEC Chairman pending the appointment of a substantive successor.

“President Tinubu has directed that Professor Yakubu hand over to the most senior national commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will direct the affairs of the commission until the completion of the process to appoint a successor,” Onanuga said in the statement.

He added that in a letter dated October 3, 2025, Yakubu expressed gratitude to the President and Nigerians for the opportunity to serve as INEC Chairman for two consecutive terms.

“Professor Yakubu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the commission since 2015,” the statement read.

During his tenure, Yakubu supervised two general elections (2019 and 2023) and several off-cycle polls, introducing innovations such as the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) and IReV (INEC Results Viewing Portal) to enhance transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process.

President Tinubu, in recognizing Yakubu’s contributions, said the CON honour was in appreciation of his “dedicated service to the nation and commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s democracy.”

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