Tinubu, UK Prime Minister Sunak petitioned over calls for sack of INEC chairman

Lawyers in Nigeria have passed a vote of confidence on the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

This came on the heels of calls for his sack and resignation following the outcome of the 2023 general elections.

Recall that Yakubu came under heavy criticism for declaring Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

Critics also claimed Yakubu sabotaged the system to allow the results to be changed in favour of Tinubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. Reacting, INEC said any system failure was only a technical glitch.

Reacting, the lawyers said it is uncalled for some persons to be mischievous to put out allegations they cannot substantiate, The Nigerian Tribune reported.

The lawyers under the aegis of Consortium of Nigerian Lawyers (CNL), in a petition addressed to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Rt Hon Rishi Sunak, President Tinubu, said the malicious claims of bribery and corruption were propagated by faceless individuals and they must be dealt with.

However, the petitioners urged the British High Commissioner in Nigeria to engage the relevant Nigerian authorities to investigate and bring to book those spreading false information about the INEC boss.

The petition reads in part: “The recent protest organised against Mallam Yakubu by the United Nigeria in Diaspora (UND) a faceless Group without any means of identification or address and the call for Prof. Mahmood’s resignation is deeply concerning.

“We call upon your office, in collaboration with the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, to intervene in this matter and seek clarification on the allegations made against Mallam Yakubu.”