Toba Owojaiye reporting
In a significant development, senior staff members of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have called for the immediate removal of Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the chairman of the commission.
Their concerns centered around allegations that Chairman Yakubu has neglected the welfare of the staff while favoring his own interests through the award of contracts believed to benefit him personally.
The employees, acting under the banner of “Concerned Staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nationwide,” have taken the extraordinary step of addressing a letter to Bola Tinubu, urging the President to intervene by removing Yakubu from his role as the national chairman of INEC.
The letter by senior INEC personnel, lists ten grievances the staff have with Yakubu’s leadership.
In the letter, Yakubu is described as a “tyrant” who perceives the staff as subservient and denies them the right to voice their concerns. They assert that the organization has become “rotten” due to Yakubu’s leadership style, which they find oppressive and detrimental to the overall welfare of the staff.
Among the specific accusations leveled against Yakubu is his alleged refusal to implement the Review Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) and the 40% Peculiar Allowance for staff, which had been approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2022.
The staff also claimed that they won’t benefit from the Federal government’s approved 35% subsidy removal allowance because Yakubu insists there is no funding for it.
Furthermore, they argued that Yakubu’s promise to increase the Electoral Hazard Allowance, made during a meeting with staff in November 2022, has not been fulfilled.
The letter accused Yakubu of turning the commission into a one-man show, making critical decisions independently and sidelining other Commissioners, which the staff consider as abuse of power.
The employees are deeply concerned about financial misappropriation, asserting that Yakubu focused on contracts that primarily serve his interests. They even called for relevant authorities like the EFCC and ICPC to investigate INEC’s financial records to confirm these allegations.
The staff expressed their profound disappointment with Yakubu’s leadership and issue a “vote of no confidence” against him. They insist on his immediate removal, citing the critical importance of staff welfare in ensuring credible elections.
It is worth noting that INEC does not have a labor union, which makes this letter to the President a crucial channel for staff to voice their grievances. While Rotimi Oyekanmi, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, acknowledged hearing about the letter, he has not yet seen it.
This development raises questions about the upcoming elections, given the serious allegations levied against the current leadership.