President Bola Tinubu is said to be at the junction of where different parts meet as the tenure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ends next month.

The question of who Yakubu's successor will be has become of interest to many Nigerians. The professor was first appointed by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020 and was reappointed in 2025, making him the longest-serving chairman of the electoral body.

How to appoint next INEC chairman

According to Daily Trust, Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stated that the president shall appoint the chairman of INEC, and the appointee would be subjected to Senate confirmation.

Furthermore, paragraph 14 of Part I of the Third Schedule explained that anyone who will be INEC chairman must be someone "of unquestionable integrity” and at least 50 years old.

President Tinubu has been said to be keeping his choice to himself, and sources have reportedly advised him to reconsider and review options so that the number of those who would be screened for the position would be increased.

Some sources disclosed that Tinubu initially preferred a particular candidate from the southwest for the position before the advent of other factors, which left the president with no choice but to include other people from other geopolitical zones.

Names projected as next INEC Chairman

However, the report has listed five prominent Nigerians whom President Tinubu may appoint as the next INEC chairman.

Below is the list of the possible nominees:

1. A judge of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abdullahi Mohammed Liman.

2. Lai Olurode, a former INEC national commissioner and retired professor at the University of Lagos.

3. Kenneth Ukeagu, a former director of procurement of INEC.

4. Sam Olumekun, the current INEC National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education.

Who is Professor Bashiru Olamilekan

However, the last person mentioned in the report, Professor Bashiru Olamilekan, has earlier been debunked. He was earlier rumoured in April 2025 to have been appointed as the new INEC chairman.

A fact-check report by Reuters debunked the claim and could not trace the name to any individual. Also, an opinion by Farooq Kperogi, a political commentator, in an opinion on The Tribune, summed up the Reuters' fact-check about Professor Olamilekan as "simply doesn’t exist."

Meanwhile, since the establishment of the electoral body in 1966, only the southwest and the north-central have not produced a chairman of INEC.

Controversies on next INEC chairman

Former President Muhammadu Buhari's ex-aide, Bashir Ahmad, has advocated for a northerner to retain the seat of INEC chairman for the third consecutive time.

The former presidential aide argued that only two northerners have held the positions since the establishment of the electoral body in 1964.

On the contrary, Nigeria has had 10 southerners to man the affairs of the electoral umpire, but their disposition has been contested by some Nigerians.