By Imoleayo Oyedeyi
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), on Friday said President Bola Tinubu lacks constitutional power to send the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on terminal leave.
Falana asserted a viral report which emerged on Wednesday alleging that Tinubu had ordered the INEC boss to proceed on compulsory leave to avenge his alleged last-minute betrayal of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The unconfirmed reports claimed Yakubu was directed to suspend official duties ahead of the expiration of his tenure, a move said to have unsettled INEC’s schedule.
The speculation reportedly gained traction after the commission cancelled its quarterly consultative meeting with political parties and a planned session with civil society organisations, which had been scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Yakubu was first appointed in 2015 by former President Muhammadu Buhari and reappointed in 2020 after Senate confirmation.
He is expected to complete his second term in October 2025, becoming the first INEC chairman to serve two terms since the commission’s establishment.
Although there had been no official statement from the presidency, the reports indicating Yakubu’s forced ouster have so far triggered heated reactions on social media.
