Professor Mahmood Yakubu was on Wednesday sworn in for a second term as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and believes elections in the country are getting better.
“We have clearly demonstrated in recent elections that elections are getting better and better and elections will continue to get better and better,” he said after the swearing-in ceremony by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chambers, State House in Abuja.
On Tuesday last week, the Senate confirmed his appointment as chairman of the electoral body, a development the former Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) described as a “privilege.”
“It is a big responsibility. It is history. No Nigerian has been so privileged to serve as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission twice,” the professor of Political History and International Studies, added.
“And it is a responsibility I am going to discharge consistent with the oath of office I took.”
The swearing-in took place just before the start of the 27th virtual Federal Executive Council meeting where a one-minute silence was observed in honour of military officer, late Gen. Domkat Bali, who served as a Minister of Defence and member of the Supreme Military Council of 1984–1985.
On October 27, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari reappointed Yakubu as Chairman of INEC for another five-year term, making him the first person to be handed a second tenure as head of the commission.
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate, the nomination of Professor Mahmood Yakubu for appointment as Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a second and final term,” Buhari was quoted as saying in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
The INEC chairman promised that conduct of elections will continue to get better under his watch.
Yakubu said, “We have clearly demonstrated in recent elections that elections are getting better and they will continue to get better.
“The National Assembly is holding a public hearing on the amendment of the electoral legal framework. This is important and this time around, working with the National Assembly, we will ensure a speedy passage of the amendment bill and once it is assented to, it will help us enormously in confronting the challenges ahead.
“Preparations for 2023 general elections have proceeded in earnest. We need certainty and therefore the electoral legal framework is fundamental, without which we cannot formulate our regulations and guidelines.
“Without our regulations and guidelines, we cannot conclude work on the manual for the training of ad-hoc staff for the elections.
“So from here, I am going to proceed to the National Assembly, so work begins in earnest and we have already started.”
The brief ceremony was witnessed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Munguno (retd.), and some ministers.
Immediately after Yakubu’s oath-taking, the FEC meeting entered into a closed-door session.