President Buhari Appoints Professor Mahmood Yakubu as New INEC Chairman

President Muhammadu Buhari has announced Mahmood Yakubu, a professor of political history and international studies, as the new Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman.

The appointment of the professor, who is also a former Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, was announced by the president at  the council of state meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

Professor Yakubu also served as the Assistant Secretary, Finance and Administration of the 2014 National Conference and he is an expert in guerrilla warfare, terrorism and counter-terrorism.

Yakubu’s appointment is to be ratified by the senate and he is to take over from the acting chairman of the commission, Amina Zakari.

Amina Zakari is now the INEC Commissioner representing the North-West following Yakubu’s appointment.

Aminu Tambuwal, the Governor of Sokoto State, who announced the appointment to state house correspondents after the meeting, said the appointment was in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and in consultation with the Council of State.

Professor Yakubu, is the first and only first class graduate of history from the North till date, who was on secondment from the Nigeria Defense Academy where he was a lecturer to the Federal Ministry of Education.

He was a member of the very dynamic Oby Ezekwesili Educational Transformation Team which received plaudits from Nigerians for their far reaching recommendations for the turn around of the fortunes of education in Nigeria.

Posted by Janice Johnson