The Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently disclose details of the selection and appointment process for the successor to Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission ends in November 2025.
SERAP emphasized that transparency in the selection process is crucial for ensuring the independence and impartiality of INEC.
“The selection and appointment process for Mr Yakubu’s replacement cannot and should not be ‘a closed shop.’ A transparent and accountable process would serve legitimate public interests,” SERAP stated in a letter dated September 27, 2025, and signed by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare. The organization demanded that President Tinubu disclose the number and names of candidates for INEC chairman and whether the Council of State has been or would be consulted, as required by the constitution.
SERAP’s demands are rooted in the belief that the credibility and legitimacy of elections largely depend on the independence and impartiality of those appointed to manage the process. “There is a strong correlation between transparency in the selection and appointment process of INEC chairman and the ability of the commission to perform its constitutional and statutory duties in an independent and impartial manner,” the organization noted.
The group also urged President Tinubu to reconsider the appointment of at least three alleged members of the All Progressives Congress as Resident Electoral Commissioners and to nominate non members of a political party as replacements. “Anyone to be appointed as INEC chairman must clearly be non partisan, independent, impartial and neutral,” SERAP stressed.
SERAP gave President Tinubu seven days to comply with their demands, warning that failure to do so would result in legal action. “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.”
The appointment of a new INEC chairman is expected to have significant implications for Nigeria’s electoral process, particularly with the 2027 general elections approaching. Transparency in the selection process would help build public trust in the commission’s independence and impartiality.
SERAP’s call for transparency in the selection process reflects ongoing concerns about electoral integrity and the perception of impartiality in Nigeria’s democratic processes. The organization’s demands are aimed at ensuring that the appointment process is objective, fair, and transparent.
