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According to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, his term as head of Nigeria’s election board would expire later this year.Cultural tours in Nigeria

Speaking to his colleagues at the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) Extraordinary General Assembly in Banjul, The Gambia, on Thursday, Yakubu made the statement.

He announced that this would be his last time attending an ECONEC meeting as the chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body, marking the conclusion of his second and last term.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Prof. Yakubu to the position of INEC chairman on November 9, 2015, for a five-year tenure that was later extended for an additional five years. He presided over the contentious general elections in 2019 and 2023.

Yakubu thanked his ECOWAS counterparts for their cooperation and support during his speech at the ceremony, stressing the value of preserving electoral integrity and promoting regional cohesion. throughout order to fortify democracy throughout the continent, he also urged election management bodies (EMBs) throughout West Africa to continue working together.

Yakubu’s declaration follows a few days of internet rumors that President Bola Tinubu had removed him from office.

After INEC announced on social media that Sam Olumekun, the interim chairman, had hosted a high-level delegation from the Labour Party, headed by Dr. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, the rumors intensified. This led to conjecture that Yakubu had been replaced.

The INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, confirmed that Olumekun was only filling in for Yakubu, who was in The Gambia for the ECONEC conference.

Yakubu considered the successes and difficulties of his time with ECONEC when he was in Banjul. He commended the network’s former members for their efforts to support democratic institutions in West Africa.

He also voiced concerns about the region’s democracy at the moment, pointing out that four nations had just lost their democratic government. Yakubu was nevertheless optimistic that these countries will soon resume democratic rule.

Other EMB leaders praised Yakubu’s speech, acknowledging the crucial role ECONEC plays in upholding democratic norms throughout the region.

Chairpersons and vice-chairmen from Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo were among the nations represented at the assembly.

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