The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said while technology has improved the conduct of elections in the country over the last decade, it cannot end the flaws that continue to undermine the credibility of the country’s polls.

Yakubu spoke in a newly released book titled, ‘Election Management in Nigeria: 2015–2025.’

A copy of the book, which was published by INEC, was obtained by Sunday PUNCH.

The 200-page publication offers a detailed account of the commission’s operations, achievements, and setbacks during Yakubu’s two-term tenure, which began in 2015.

Describing the book as “the first, most comprehensive record of these milestones, lessons and challenges of [his] two-term tenure,” the ex-INEC chairman, who wrote the forward, reflected on a decade he called one of the most significant in the history of election management in Nigeria.

“The decade between 2015 – 2025 has been one of the most momentous in the history of the management of elections in Nigeria.

“There have been several milestones, many challenges and useful lessons in the conduct of elections and the management of the process within this period,” Yakubu stated.

Key technological innovations outlined in the book include the introduction of the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System, the INEC Voter Enrolment Device, the INEC Results Viewing portal, and the expansion of voter access to polling units.

Yakubu pointed out efforts made to improve inclusivity, with targeted policies for women, youth, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons.

“Despite these achievements, the 2015–2025 decade was not without its challenges. Issues such as multiple litigations in which the commission is joined, conflicting orders from courts of concurrent jurisdiction, electoral violence as seen in the various attacks on the commission’s facilities and personnel, vote trading, and the challenge of logistics that led to the postponement of elections since 2011, continue to pose challenges to the smooth conduct of elections and the management of the electoral process,” he added.

He also acknowledged the limitations of technology, noting that while it had advanced the process, it was not a panacea.

He said, “Additionally, technical challenges with equipment and connectivity failures have sometimes hindered the smooth conduct of elections.”

Yakubu explained that in response to the challenges, INEC undertook a series of reforms, including intensified voter education, training for electoral officials, and closer collaboration with security agencies to ensure the safety of voters and personnel.

He noted that policies were also developed to guide the deployment of electoral technology.

Looking ahead, Yakubu stressed the need for continued reform and vigilance.

“As the commission looks to the future, the conduct of elections and the management of elections will continue to evolve and present fresh challenges. Such challenges will necessarily either require the consolidation of old, or the formulation of new reforms,” he added.

He also stressed the importance of public trust and inclusivity in the electoral process.

“The commission must fully embrace both successes and failures, intensify confidence and trust building measures, expand the drive towards inclusivity and continuously be ahead in addressing potential threats to the conduct of elections and the management of the electoral process.

“Only in and through these, can it ensure the conduct of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections and the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria,” he added.

The Yakubu years

Yakubu was first appointed as INEC Chairman by former President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015, and was confirmed by the Senate on October 28, 2015.

He became the first person to be reappointed to the position, earning a second term in November 2020, also under Buhari’s administration.

Before his appointment, Yakubu served as the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and had a long academic career, including as a professor of political history and international studies.

Yakubu’s tenure was marked by both reforms and controversies. He oversaw two general elections—in 2019 and 2023—and several off-cycle elections across the country.

Under his leadership, INEC introduced significant technological innovations, such as the BIVAS and the INEC Result Viewing portal, aimed at improving electoral transparency and credibility.

However, the 2023 general elections drew widespread criticism from political parties, civil society groups, and the public over logistical failures and alleged irregularities.

While INEC defended the process and cited technical glitches, the credibility of the results, particularly the presidential election, was contested in court.

Security challenges, voter apathy, logistical setbacks, and political pressure were persistent issues during his tenure. Despite these, some observers acknowledged efforts at institutional reform and improved voter engagement.

President Bola Tinubu, who assumed office in 2023, accepted Yakubu’s resignation and decorated him with the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger in recognition of his service.

On Thursday, the National Council of State approved Tinubu’s nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman. The appointment is now subject to Senate screening and confirmation.

Until then, Agbamuche-Mbu will continue to oversee the commission’s affairs as Acting Chairman.

PDP, LP knock Yakubu as ADC, NNPP task new chair

Reacting, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party accused Yakubu of hypocrisy and failure during his tenure.

They blamed him for encouraging electoral malpractices and undermining public confidence in the nation’s democratic process during his tenure.

Speaking in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, the PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, challenged Yakubu to explain why he failed to address those challenges he raised during his 10-year leadership of the commission.

Abdullahi said, “The first question to Prof. Yakubu is, what serious measures did he take in 10 years of his stewardship to substantially address those threats? Second, why didn’t he say so all along until after leaving the commission worse than he met it? Third, is his observation now an admission of failure and confirmation of the long-held notion of compromise and fraud?

“The way out is to admonish his successor, Prof. Amupitan, to live above board and depart from those ignoble tendencies witnessed under Prof. Yakubu.”

On his part, the LP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, described Yakubu’s comment as “self-indicting,” arguing that the major problem with Nigeria’s elections did not lie in technology but corrupt INEC officials who manipulated the process for political interests.

“As you can see from the 2023 elections, it was not about technology; it is purely about manpower, the people who make decisions and those who are saddled with election management in Nigeria.

“If the managers of elections had kept to their vows to be impartial, Nigeria would not be in this kind of crisis. The electoral system has been designed in such a way that it can produce a good outcome, but the manipulation of the system by corrupt electoral officials will not make any electoral reform work the way it should,” he said.

Ifoh further accused Yakubu of deliberately undermining the system before the 2023 polls.

“Three or four months before the last election, the director in charge of technology in INEC was removed by Yakubu and replaced with someone without knowledge of technology. That was how they plotted the manipulation of the election. When he (Yakubu) saw that the election was going in a direction he did not want, he pulled the plug,” he alleged.

Also speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the spokesperson for the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the integrity of the electoral process ultimately depended on the people managing it, not the tools used.

“It underlines the same point that we have always made, technology will be managed by human beings. At the end of the day, technology is only as good as the human being that manages it,” Abdullahi said.

He added that if those In charge of election technology had questionable intentions, the system would be compromised.

“So, technology alone will not guarantee a free and fair election. It is about the human being,” he stated.

Abdullahi said every new head of the electoral body should be regarded with caution until proven credible.

“There is a new leadership for INEC, and every head of INEC is a suspect until he proves himself otherwise. The very fact that he is appointed by the ruling party’s president renders him suspect until he proves himself otherwise. So, even the new nominee, Professor Amupitan, is a suspect,” he said.

However, the National Secretary of the NNPP, Dipo Olayokun, defended INEC, arguing that politicians, not the commission, should bear the greater responsibility for flawed elections.

Olayokun urged the incoming INEC chairman to embark on reforms that would guarantee free and credible elections.

“Nigerians are quick to point accusing fingers at the INEC chairman when an election goes wrong. I’m not saying INEC should not be blamed, but most of the blame should go to Nigerian politicians,” Olayokun said.

“An average Nigerian politician goes into an election with the mindset of winning—not by genuine means but by hook or crook. If we really desire free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria, we must be interested in the activities of politicians. Even when INEC intends to announce the true result of an election, politicians will try their best to influence and manipulate the result.” (Sunday PUNCH)