Rotimi Amaechi, a two-term governor of Rivers state and former minister of transportation under the immediate administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, has alleged that Maurice Iwu and Mahmood Yakubu conducted the worst election in the history of Nigeria.

Since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, Iwu and Yakubu have been two of the other chairmen of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). When Iwu served as the chairman of the electoral commission between 2005 and 2010, Yakubu was appointed by Buhari and his tenure is expected to end in December 2025.

Who conducted the election that brought

Amaechi Additionally, Iwu conducted the election that brought in Amaechi as governor of Rivers State in 2007. It was in the same election that the late former President Umar Musa Yar'Adua was elected. The late president was reported to have said that the election that brought him into office was not free and fair.

On the other hand, Amaechi has become a major critic of Yakubu after losing the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary ticket to Bola Tinubu and particularly hit the INEC chairman after his candidate lost in the 2023 governorship election in Rivers state.

Speaking in an interview on Channels TV, Amaechi alleged that Yakubu is blocking every process to create a strong opposition to contest against the APC in the 2027 election.

Amaechi speaks on coalition's political party

He recalled that he was mandated with a committee to register the All Democratic Alliance (ADA) but admitted that he and other coalition members are yet to submit the address of the party's office and the names of its executive.

However, the former minister claimed that there are other parties that have met all the requirements, but the Yakubu-led INEC has yet to register any of them. He then alleged that after Iwu, Yakubu conducted the worst election in Nigeria, which was the 2027 presidential election.

Amaechi argued that the best thing to do is for Nigerians to rise up against the electoral body. The former minister, who has been moving from one political office to another since he left the university, became a major critic of the government two years after staying out of power.

After Maurice Iwu, Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC organised the worst election in the country's history, says ex-Rivers governor Rotimi Amaechi. #CTVTweets#PoliticsToday pic.twitter.com/5jyKYRMGew

— Channels Television (@channelstv) July 3, 2025