Okoi Obono-Obla Denies Reports of Tinubu Sacking INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu

Former Chairman of the Special Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu has removed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, from office.

In a statement released to THE WHISTLER on Thursday, Obono-Obla described reports circulating on some online platforms (not including THE WHISTLER) as false, misleading, and legally baseless.

“It is both infantile and puerile to witness blazing headlines claiming that the President has ‘sacked’ Professor Yakubu by directing him to proceed on terminal leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure on 18 October 2025. Today is 25 September 2025—barely three weeks to the constitutionally mandated end of his second term,” he said.


Obono-Obla questioned the logic of interpreting a directive to take leave as a dismissal, emphasizing that Yakubu’s tenure was already set to conclude by law.

“How does asking someone whose tenure is set to lapse by law in three weeks to proceed on leave amount to a sack? It beggars belief that media outlets would feast on such patently false narratives,” he added.


The former Special Assistant to the President (Prosecution) also clarified that the President cannot unilaterally remove the INEC Chairman. He explained the constitutional procedure for removal, which requires the President to present an address to the Senate outlining any allegations of misconduct or inability to perform the duties of office.

“For the removal to be effected, the address must be supported by a two-thirds majority of the Senate—that is, at least 73 out of 109 senators,” Obono-Obla said, citing Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).


The section provides that removal can occur only for misconduct or inability to discharge official duties, ensuring that constitutional safeguards are followed.

Obono-Obla concluded that any media suggestion that President Tinubu had “sacked” Professor Yakubu ignores these safeguards and misleads the public about the law.

“Any suggestion that the President has ‘sacked’ the INEC Chairman without following this constitutional procedure is not only misleading but legally untenable,” he affirmed.