Buba Galadima, a prominent member of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), has called for the dismissal of Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and has directed this demand specifically to President Bola Tinubu.
Galadima accused Yakubu of undermining the will of the Nigerian people during the last presidential election, stating that his actions were even worse than the alleged wrongdoings of Godwin Emefiele, the embattled Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“The INEC chairman must be removed. What he did is far more serious than what Godwin Emefiele did. He colluded with certain individuals to sabotage the mandate of Nigerians. He committed a grave offense,” Galadima asserted.
Under Yakubu’s leadership, INEC has faced substantial criticism for its failure to upload election results as promised, with the electoral body attributing the issue to technical glitches.
During a briefing, the European Union Election Observation Mission stated that public trust in the commission had been significantly damaged.
In response, Festus Okoye argued that it would be unfair to judge the entire performance of the commission based solely on a glitch in the result upload for the presidential election held on February 25.
Expanding on his views in a television interview, Galadima advised former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party that their efforts to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s victory were a waste of time.
Galadima contended that the elections were marred by irregularities, but added that since 1979, the outcome of presidential elections had never been overturned by the courts in Nigeria. He questioned the practicality of spending billions of Naira on legal battles at the tribunal, suggesting that the funds could be better utilized in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
Galadima expressed confidence in the NNPP’s strength, highlighting that the party could have performed better if not for late party registration and alleged targeting by INEC, resulting in the omission of candidates’ names and logos in some states.