“INEC Under Mahmood Yakubu Was a National Disgrace” — Atedo Peterside

Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc and Anap Foundation, has described the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under its former chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, as a “national disgrace.”

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Peterside reacted to the recent leadership change at the electoral body, following the appointment of Joash Amupitan as INEC chairman by President Bola Tinubu. Amupitan, confirmed by the Senate earlier in October, was sworn in on October 23, succeeding Yakubu, who served as the country’s chief electoral officer from 2015 to 2025.

When asked about his expectations for the new chairman, Peterside said, “I will never say never, but the INEC that was led by Mahmood Yakubu was a national disgrace.”

“You just have to go on their IReV. If you have time, I will take you there myself and show you result sheets they upload—mutilated, sometimes with figures changed, and in some cases, they even forget to change the words,” he added.

Peterside also criticised the judiciary for failing to uphold integrity in election cases, aligning himself with calls for reform of the Electoral Act to shift the burden of proof from petitioners to INEC.

“I heard former governor Dickson saying in the Senate that we have to amend the Electoral Act in some important way,” Peterside said. “This is where our judiciary has not lived up to the required standards. I agree with Senator Dickson that the burden of proof should shift to INEC. You can’t allow a situation where INEC can do anything, bring out rubbish results — mutilated and everything — and then argue that it’s for the victim to prove that what they’ve done is wrong, when even a blind man can see that what they’ve done is wrong.”

He warned that Nigerians’ growing loss of faith in both INEC and the judiciary could have dire consequences for future elections, cautioning that citizens might resort to self-help if trust in the electoral process is not restored.