Odinkalu optimistic Amupitan won’t produce multiple results, unlike Yakubu who “ruined INEC” with bogus stuff that led to 83% litigations in 2023
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
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“Joash will not administer an election like in Edo State, where there were four results.
“Mahmoud Yakubu perfected the act of producing elections in which there are four results – one he announces, one on IReV, another issued to party agents, and another tendered in court. That’s criminal.
“He brought elections and INEC into disrepute, and the new INEC chair will have to begin to address this.
In 2007, under Maurice Iwu as INEC Chair, about 86.35 per cent of election results ended up in court, which reduced significantly under Attahiru Jega, whose INEC tenure oversaw the 2011 and 2015 elections.
“Jega reduced the number of election cases in court from 86.35 per cent in 2007 to 51 per cent in 2011, and further to 44 per cent in 2015. That shows progress.”
The situation worsened under Yakubu, who headed the INEC between 2015 and 2025.
“By 2019, the figure [of election litigations] increased to 56.34 per cent and by 2023, it reached 83 per cent. That tells you something – Mahmoud Yakubu ruined INEC” – Odinkalu.
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Chidi Odinkalu, Professor of law and human rights activist, is optimistic that new Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Joash Amupitan would not bungle elections as done by his predecessor Mahmood Yakubu who produced multiple results in one ballot.
The former National Human Rights Commission Director General enthused on Channels Television that Amupita, a Professor of law, will not conduct elections marred by irregularities like those held under Yakubu, a Professor political science.
“Joash will not administer an election like in Edo State, where there were four results,” Odinkalu said.
“Mahmoud Yakubu perfected the act of producing elections in which there are four results – one he announces, one on IReV, another issued to party agents, and another tendered in court. That’s criminal.
“He brought elections and INEC into disrepute, and the new INEC chair will have to begin to address this.”
Odinkalu presented statistics to support his claim of declining electoral credibility under Yakubu.
He recounted that in 2007, under Maurice Iwu as INEC Chair, about 86.35 per cent of election results ended up in court, which reduced significantly under Attahiru Jega, whose INEC tenure oversaw the 2011 and 2015 elections.
“Jega reduced the number of election cases in court from 86.35 per cent in 2007 to 51 per cent in 2011, and further to 44 per cent in 2015. That shows progress.”
Odinkalu argued that the situation worsened under Yakubu, who headed the INEC between 2015 and 2025.
“By 2019, the figure [of election litigations] increased to 56.34 per cent and by 2023, it reached 83 per cent. That tells you something – Mahmoud Yakubu ruined INEC,” he insisted.
He urged Amupitan to rebuild credibility in the electoral system in the run up to the 2027 general election.
“Joash has a job. Nobody expects perfect elections, but he must begin to redress this decline incrementally, so that by 2027, we won’t have over 80 per cent of our elections going to court.”
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