May Agbamuche-Mbu has been appointed acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following the handover from Mahmood Yakubu on Tuesday.
Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu, the most senior national commissioner at INEC, officially took charge during a meeting with resident electoral commissioners (RECs) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
She will oversee the affairs of the commission pending the appointment of a substantive chairman.
Before her new role, Agbamuche-Mbu chaired the legal services, clearance and complaints committee of INEC, which handles issues relating to legal compliance and candidate qualification.
She has served as a national commissioner representing Delta, Edo and Cross River states since 2016.
Mr Yakubu, who handed over after almost a decade at the helm, was first appointed in November 2015 and reappointed in 2020, becoming the first INEC chairman to complete two terms.
His tenure saw the conduct of the 2019 and 2023 general elections, as well as several off-cycle and by-elections across the country.
He urged INEC staff and stakeholders to extend full cooperation to his successor, noting that the transition is in line with constitutional provisions guiding tenure in public service.
