INEC picks Mu’azu as interim chairman

Ahmed Mu’azu has been named interim INEC chair and Mahmood Yakubu has stepped aside, having completed one term.

President Buhari has nominated Mr. Yakubu for a second term but the Senate has not confirmed his nomination.

Mr. Mu’azu was one of seven INEC national commissioners who were eligible for this interim appointment, and he will run the commission until a substantive chair is appointed.

There are 12 national commissioners who assist the chair in running INEC and they are drawn from the six geopolitical zones. Mr. Mu’azu is one of the northeast’s representatives.

Born in 1957, he served in the airforce until he voluntarily retired in 2013 as an air vice marshall. He has a master’s degree in strategic studies from the University of Ibadan.

Mr. Mu’azu has headed INEC’s logistics ad hoc committee since 2019. This committee stores and distributes election materials during elections.

The outgoing chairman, Mr. Yakubu, began his first five-year term in November 2015, succeeding Attahiru Jega. Mr. Yakubu will be the first person to get a second term as INEC chair if the Senate approves his nomination.