Amid increasing calls for the removal of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), former Abia State governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has clarified that only President Bola Tinubu and the National Council of State (NCS) have the authority to dismiss the electoral chief.
The push for Yakubu’s removal, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and other discontented Nigerians, follows dissatisfaction with recent election outcomes in Edo and Ondo States.
Speaking at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, Obasanjo, in a speech titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” called for the dismissal of INEC officials nationwide.
In response, Ikpeazu highlighted the legal processes governing the INEC Chairman’s tenure.
“The power to remove the INEC Chairman lies solely with President Tinubu and the National Council of State. It cannot be done arbitrarily,” Ikpeazu stated during a book launch event in Abuja.
The book, Contemporary Legal Cooperation: China and Africa – A Comparative Survey of Legal Systems, authored by journalist John Chucks Azu, was presented at the event, which also featured discussions on the theme, “New Horizons in Rule of Law, Judicial Efficiency, and Dispute Resolution: Lessons from China and Nigeria.”
Ikpeazu, who recently lost his senatorial bid to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), has previously criticized INEC for declaring Abaribe the winner.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ikpeazu called on INEC to be more transparent and impartial in the conduct of elections. Referring to the Ondo election, he said, “Unfortunately, my party lost, but that election has come and gone. I will advise INEC to be more transparent and impartial in the conduct of elections. When people are not happy with your process, you don’t talk about it but open up the space to let people come and see what you are doing. Sometimes, you meet them upfront.”
On the call for the sack of the INEC Chairman, Ikpeazu stated, “It is not my call to make about a new leadership of INEC. That is the call of Mr President and the Council of State, and I think they will take that decision when the time comes.”