Former Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Obono-Obla, has dismissed reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu sacked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Obono-Obla argued that the directive for Yakubu to proceed on leave cannot be equated to a termination of his appointment.
In a statement on Thursday, he described reports by some online platforms alleging that the President had removed Yakubu from office as false, misleading, and legally untenable.
“It is both infantile and puerile to witness blazing headlines on certain online platforms claiming that the President has ‘sacked’ the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, by directing him to proceed on terminal leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure on 18 October 2025. Today is 25 September 2025, barely three weeks to the constitutionally mandated end of Professor Yakubu’s second term,” Obono-Obla said.
He stressed that asking someone whose tenure will naturally end in a few weeks to proceed on leave does not amount to dismissal, faulting media outlets for spreading what he called “false narratives.”
Clarifying the constitutional provisions, Obono-Obla emphasized that the President does not have the unilateral power to sack the INEC Chairman.
“The truth of the matter is this: the President has no unilateral power to sack the Chairman of INEC. If the Chairman commits any act contrary to the law that warrants removal, the President is constitutionally required to present an address detailing the allegations against him before the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. For the removal to be effected, the address must be supported by a two-thirds majority of the Senate,” he explained.
Breaking it down further, he noted that two-thirds of the 109 senators would amount to 73 votes in favour of removal. He also cited Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which outlines the process for removing the INEC Chairman and similar officials.
