The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, as described as preposterous the proposition that Nigerians would not be surprised if he joined the race for the 2023 presidential election.
Nigerians had gone online in the wake of the rising numbers of aspirants who picked the presidential nomination and expression of interest of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election, saying that they would not be surprised if the INEC chairman declared his ambition.
But the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, in a statement titled, ‘Calls on the INEC chairman to join the race for the 2023 presidential election’, stated, “Our attention has been drawn to innuendoes in certain quarters that Nigerians should not be surprised if the INEC Chairman joins the presidential race or he’s urged to do so.”
“It is a preposterous proposition. It will not happen. The chairman remains an umpire committed to free, fair and credible elections. His constitutional responsibilities as the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Federation and Returning Officer for the presidential election are onerous enough for him to even contemplate straying into extraneous matters at variance with the law, morality and his personal principles.”
