By Ayomide Otitoju
Peter Ameh, National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has accused former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, of damaging Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system during his decade-long leadership of the commission.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Ameh alleged that Yakubu’s tenure was marked by high-handedness, disregard for opposition parties, and a lack of transparency in electoral administration.
“Under Professor Mahmood’s tenure, the opposition suffered. He was not accommodating when it came to opposition or multi-party democracy; all he wanted was to crush it. The high-handedness was much,” Ameh stated.
He further criticised Yakubu for allegedly failing to build institutional capacity within INEC, claiming the commission became elitist and detached from its mandate. “Mahmood spent 10 years at the commission, and what you see is an elitist escort to protect him from the anger within. There wasn’t any effort to lift the spirit of the staff,” he said.
Ameh also accused the former INEC chairman of mismanaging electoral cycles and eroding public trust, citing alleged irregularities in the Edo State election as an example. “During Mahmood’s tenure, there was corruption and mismanagement. Legitimacy was bastardized. The conduct of the 2023 general elections left a bitter taste in everybody’s mouth — that is what he will be remembered for,” he added.
He faulted Yakubu for failing to take responsibility for the technical glitches that affected the transmission of results during the 2023 polls. “He made promises that results would be transmitted but failed. Even if there was a glitch, he should have set up an independent investigative body to determine what went wrong,” Ameh argued.
Concluding, the CUPP secretary asserted that Yakubu’s leadership weakened the nation’s democratic foundations. “For me, Mahmood’s tenure damaged the multi-party democracy we have. He pushed and invested so much energy in Section 225A to undermine political parties, turning the essence of our democratic system into a laughing stock,” he said.
Yakubu, who served as INEC Chairman for 10 years, recently handed over to May Agbamuche, the commission’s longest-serving National Commissioner, who now serves as Acting National Chairman.
