Tope Adeboboye
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is currently in the eye of the storm. The guerrilla warfare expert is facing a most important, career-defining warfare.
Since the announcement of the shift in dates of the general elections earlier billed to commence on the penultimate Saturday, February 16, not a few people have expressed the desire to have the head of the university teacher set on a guillotine as punishment for his perceived transgressions.
While many were busy slumbering in the early hours of that Saturday morning, patiently awaiting the commencement of the Presidential and National Assembly polls scheduled for later in the day, the professor of political history and international studies broke the hearts of millions of Nigerians. About 2:43 a.m on Election Day, Yakubu’s INEC suddenly announced a shift in the polls.
While announcing the postponement, the INEC boss told journalists that it was a difficult decision, but one necessary for the successful delivery of the elections.
Naturally, the professor promptly became the unenviable object of interminable vilification. The postponement was particularly painful as many people had travelled to far places to participate in the exercise. Many were already walking down to the polling venues before getting to know of the postponement. Many youth corps members hired to serve as temporary election officials spent the night in open spaces, deprived of the minutest form of comfort.
Yet, hours before the shift in dates was announced, several INEC officials had insisted that no terrestrial force would prevent the election from holding.
The rage exhibited from all quarters was no doubt justifiable. The postponement has hurled a large dose of confusion into the camp of several people. Weddings, funerals and other social events had been planned, cancelled and rescheduled. With INEC shifting the polls to Saturday February 23, both the old and the new dates have become effectively useless. All prior arrangements earlier made for Saturday, February 23 would have to be rescheduled again.
Even the political parties are no less agitated, and the INEC chairman became the recipient of their scorn. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) both denounced the action of the electoral body. Uche Secondus, PDP national chairman, accused President Buhari of instigating the shift in dates to enable him to hang on to power. He alleged that the APC, in connivance with INEC, had been working hard to undermine the electoral exercise.
But the APC has also been very hard on the electoral body and its chairman. Its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole seems to be even more bitter than his PDP counterpart. While accusing INEC of working with the PDP to rig the general election, the former governor of Edo State alleged at the party’s caucus meeting on Monday, February 18 that the commission had leaked to the opposition party of its plans to shift the election.
“I can put my hands on the Qur’an and swear that INEC and its officials informed the PDP before postponing the election,” he said.
All the parties also vowed to disregard the chairman’s instruction that the restriction placed on campaigns would stand. INEC would later reverse itself on that decision.
But the INEC chairman hasn’t just been watching the situation listlessly, with hands helplessly resting on his chin. He has stood strong, insisting that his commission did absolutely the right thing, considering the realities on ground.
Prof Yakubu cited logistics as the main cause of the shift in dates. He said there were delays in delivering ballot papers and result sheets, caused by flight challenges occasioned by bad weather. There were also fire incidents that destroyed Card Readers in some states. Yakubu said if the election had continued, it would have been staggered in certain states. And he said it had to be moved by one week as the commission’s ICT experts said they would require between five and six days to rewire the Smart Card Readers programmed to work only on February 16.
Prof Yakubu’s explanation seems to have calmed some nerves. Recent reports of the burning of vehicles conveying election materials, diversion of materials meant for some states to other states, destruction of Smart Card Readers, discovery of permanent voter cards in private hands and many such acts have left some convinced that INEC probably took the right decision.
With many Nigerians reminding INEC that any other shift might trigger a constitutional crisis, Prof Yakubu has insisted that nothing would tamper with the new dates. But even at that, President Muhammadu Buhari, who appears unconvinced with the explanations by the INEC boss, has hinted that the postponement would be probed after the election.
Born in Bauchi in May 1962, Prof Yakubu started his education at the Kobi Primary School and Government Teachers College, Toro. He proceeded to the then University of Sokoto, now Usmanu Danfodiyo University where he became the only Nigerian from the North to date to obtain a first-class degree in history.
In 1991, Mahmood earned a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford. He also studied at the University of Cambridge.
Before his appointment as INEC boss, he had served as Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). He was also assistant secretary of finance and administration at the 2014 National Conference.
Will the guerrilla warfare, will the expert win the current war? With bated breath, the nation waits.