INEC Chairman, Otti in Alleged Unholy Alliance Over Labour Party Leadership

INEC Chairman, Otti in Alleged Unholy Alliance Over Labour Party Leadership

•Prof Yakubu to Proceed on Terminal Leave Month End, Emerges Ambassadorial Designate

Amid crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP), the Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been accused of being in an alliance with the Abia State governor, Dr. Alex Otti over the leadership tussle.

A source revealed that the INEC Chairman is believed to be working towards handing over the party to the Governor.

According to the source, Friday’s NEC meeting in Abuja by the suspended Governor Otti was a directive by INEC chairman as one of the steps on which the commission will leverage to give relevance to the factions illegality. The INEC chairman is determined to honour Abia State governor with that request.

In reaction to the development, a member of the Labour Party NEC confirmed to our reporter that the party is not unaware of the transaction but that it is also working hard to truncated the deal.

The party official said that the party is keeping a tab on all underground activities of both Prof Yakubu and Dr. Otti who he said the party has since suspended. The party, he said will do everything to frustrate the sale of the party by the leadership of the Commission.

Meanwhile , Prof. Yakubu ten years tenure as INEC chairman is rumoured to have come to an end with his imminent replacement by the presidency at the end of July, 2025.

A presidency source confirmed that the INEC chairman will not be allowed to serve out the remaining months of his tenure. He has also been penciled down as an ambassadorial nominee.

A security source also confirmed that the INEC Chairman is under pressure to hand over the leadership of the Labour Party to Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti in a deal worth billion of Naira in the wake of his disengagement from service.

A top official in INEC also confirmed to our reporter that the Commission is at a loss on why Prof Yakubu has refused to accept all reports from the legal and EPM departments on the validity of the Barrister Julius Abure led executive of the Labour Party.

According to the INEC official who prefers anonymity, “We have made several recommendation to the chairman, we have also reviewed the Supreme Court and other judgements from the lower courts, and the council has made proper recommendations, yet the bulk stops on the chairman’s table for the final action.

“Our commission did not recognize the stakeholders meeting in Umuahia, we even made the declaration in the court. We have never observed any of the meetings of the breakaway faction as led by the governor, not even once. The Supreme Court judgement did not even give credence to that group. In fact, they are not known to law and their party constitution.

“I am not aware that the commission is under any influence by any quarter not to do any thing wrong but why the recommendations by our council have not been implemented is what baffles me. You may need to find the answer from the chairman”

A presidency source however confirmed that the INEC chairman has been nominated as an ambassadorial nominee by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and therefore a new INEC chairman will be announced early in August.

“Yes, INEC chairman’s tenure is due by the end of the year but he would be asked to step down in a few days time. He would not be allowed to serve out his tenure. He would not also superintend the November governorship election in Anambra State as well as the off season elections holding in August. An acting chairman will emerge very soon.

“He has also been nominated as ambassadorial designate but he will undergo mandatory security scrutiny and other profiling.”

Prof. Yakubu’s tenure as INEC chairman has been  described as the most controversial in Nigeria election history. Nigeria government spent billions of Naira in acquiring the most expensive technology to ensure a hitch-free election, including the BVAS but a human induced technical glitches truncated what would have been the best election Nigeria ever had.

He refused to apologize to Nigerians and the commission is yet to account for the profligacy under Prof Yakubu’s chairmanship.