President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to proceed on leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure.

Insider sources say the move comes in response to what they described as Mahmood’s “last-minute betrayal” of the All Progressives Congress government that appointed him.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma reportedly met with President Tinubu shortly after the president returned from a 12-day working vacation, alleging that Mahmood’s efforts to register new political parties at the end of his tenure had disrupted Tinubu’s preparations for a second term.

The governor also claimed that Mahmood was covertly backing a candidate in the Imo State governorship election.

Following this briefing, Tinubu reportedly requested that Mahmood suspend all official duties and proceed on terminal leave.

The decision has thrown the commission’s schedule into disarray, leading to the abrupt cancellation of Mahmood’s final quarterly consultative meeting with political parties, as well as a planned session with civil society organisations.

Tinubu is now expected to submit the name of a new INEC Chairman to the National Assembly in the coming days.

Mahmood was appointed to office by then-President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015, succeeding acting chairperson, Amina Zakari.

In March, SaharaReporters reported that a prominent politician from Oghara, Delta State, was actively pushing for a compromised figure to become the next INEC chairman, setting the stage for widespread electoral fraud.

Sources close to the matter implicated former Delta State Governor James Ibori, a convicted ex-governor who returned to Nigeria after serving a sentence in the United Kingdom for looting public funds.

It was learnt that Ibori was maneuvering to position his associate and kinsman, Moses Ogbe, as the next INEC Chairman to ensure direct control over the rigging of the 2027 elections.

Ibori’s influence in the current political landscape remains significant. His past political manipulations include the appointment of his in-law, Chinedu Ebie, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Governing Board, and his daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, as Chairperson of the House Committee on NDDC.

Moses Ogbe is a former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) under Prof. Maurice Iwu’s tenure.

Moses Ogbe’s Troubling Track Record

SaharaReporters’ investigation into Ogbe’s past reveals a deeply concerning history of electoral manipulation. Ogbe, once a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was nominated by Ibori for a REC position during a period marked by widespread election rigging.

He was allegedly part of a network of election manipulators working closely with Prof. Iwu, notorious for overseeing Nigeria’s deeply flawed 2007 general election, an election so discredited that then-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua admitted its failures and initiated electoral reforms.

Ogbe’s tenure as REC in Lagos State during the 2003 elections reportedly saw significant electoral malpractices under the administration of then-Governor Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu has a habit of surrounding himself with individuals he has previously worked with or known, as he advances politically.

For example, in 1999, the current Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, served as Tinubu’s Chief Security Officer, holding the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police at the time. At the time, Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State.

Earlier in September, INEC officially recognised former Senate President, Senator David Mark, as National Chairman and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), bringing to an end to months of internal wrangling over the party’s leadership.

The electoral body also confirmed Dr. Mani Ibrahim as National Treasurer, alongside Akibu Dalhatu and Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, who now serve as National Financial Secretary and National Legal Adviser, respectively.

Ekwutosblog  confirmed that the names of the newly recognised ADC leaders had been uploaded to the Commission’s official website.