By Prince Tony Akeni, Labour Party National Publicity Secretary (Interim)
October 10, 2025
Introduction: Between Redemption and Betrayal
The appointment of Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has thrust upon him a monumental destiny — to either redeem Africa’s largest democracy or to further bury its corpse, which his predecessor, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, left desecrated before the eyes of Nigerians and the world.
As the nation watches, the new INEC boss must decide whether to become a restorer of faith or another symbol of betrayal in the long, painful story of Nigeria’s electoral process.
A Heavy Choice Before Prof. Amupitan
Beyond the perks, glamour, and power of his exalted office, Prof. Amupitan must now choose:
Will he serve the 230 million Nigerians who own the democratic mandate, or will he bow to the unconstitutional whims of one man — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who appointed him?
To find his bearing, the new chairman would do well to remember how Nigerians will forever recall his immediate predecessor, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood — and the deep distrust he left behind.
From Iwu to Jega to Mahmood — A Downward Spiral
Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigerians thought Prof. Maurice Iwu was the worst electoral referee the nation could endure. Then came Prof. Attahiru Jega, who briefly rekindled hope before the 2015 electoral drama — when Elder Godsday Orubebe publicly protested at the national collation centre, screaming before the world press and international observers.
But even that chaos paled in comparison to what was to come. When Nigerians thought no one could surpass Jega’s failings, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood emerged — and mortally wounded public trust in the ballot.
He destroyed Nigeria’s electoral integrity, turning what was once hope into a concrete proverb of despair and leaving voter apathy that grips the nation like a curse.
2023 Elections: The BIVAS Promise Betrayed
In the run-up to the 2023 general elections, Mahmood promised Nigerians real-time electronic transmission of results via BIVAS and IREV, describing it as an inviolate process.
But on election day, he brazenly reversed himself, declaring that BIVAS results were not compulsory.
He and his returning officers across the nation uploaded mutilated and duplicated result sheets allegedly supplied by the ruling APC, then defended those falsifications before electoral tribunals.
In the end, Mahmood announced winners against the clear will of the people, undermining what observers called the Labour Party’s landslide victory and shattering global faith in Nigeria’s democratic process.
A Legacy of Manipulation and Reward
As his final act of service to the APC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu fabricated phantom voter registrations ahead of 2027, awarding 393,269 new voters in Osun State alone, while registering just 1,998 new voters across the five South-East states combined — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.
For this “achievement,” he was decorated with a national honour, the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), by President Tinubu — a gesture that many Nigerians view as a reward for betrayal rather than service.
Targeting the Labour Party
The Labour Party remembers well how Prof. Mahmood Yakubu pretended to uphold justice while secretly sabotaging it.
He unlawfully delisted the party from participating in crucial elections — including the 2025 local government polls, the 2026 Abuja Municipal Council elections, and others across the country.
Even worse, he retained the defunct Julius Abure-led leadership on INEC’s official portal, despite clear rulings by both the Supreme Court and the Federal High Court of Abuja that the Abure leadership had ended.
The First Test for Prof. Amupitan
For the Labour Party, the first litmus test of Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan’s sincerity will be his handling of this injustice.
He must immediately remove the Abure faction from INEC’s portal and replace it with the Nenadi Usman-led executive council, as submitted by the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) — in full compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming that party leadership is an internal matter.
This step will show whether the new INEC boss has come to serve Nigeria’s democracy or to continue the legacy of manipulation.
Under the World’s Watchful Eyes
As he assumes office, Prof. Joash Amupitan stands under the scrutiny of Nigerians, the civilized world, and emerging democracies that look to Nigeria either as a model or a warning.
The new INEC Chairman must now prove that he is not another electoral vampire, serving incumbents and ballot moneybags, but a true umpire determined to serve and save Nigeria’s long-troubled democracy.
Conclusion: The Hour of Decision
Prof. Amupitan’s name will be written — either in the book of redeemers or the ledger of betrayers.
History watches. Nigeria waits. And time, as always, will tell.
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