The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a prominent Igbo socio-cultural organisation, has reacted to call by former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the removal of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Obasanjo while delivering his speech at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in the US said INEC Chairman and officials of the electoral body should be sacked for underperformance bordering on inability to deliver a free-and-fair elections over time.
Weighing in on the demand via a press release on Monday, authoreed by Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the group is at variance with the ex-President.
It said Mahmood’s time as INEC boss is winding down and he should be allowed to complete his tenure.
“It is fundamentally premature and ill-timed for anyone to call for the sack of Professor Mahmood Yakubu while he is still in office, especially in light of the fact that his tenure is set to conclude in 2025.
“We advocate for a period of stability and completion of ongoing reforms, suggesting that discussions around the future leadership and structure of INEC should commence only after Yakubu’s term has expired,” Isiguzoro wrote.
