Only Tinubu, Council of States can sack INEC chairman, says Ex-Gov Ikpeazu

Amid calls for the removal of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the former governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has stated that only President Bola Tinubu and the National Council of States (NCS) have the authority to remove him.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and some aggrieved Nigerians have called for the sack of the INEC Chairman and other officials at all levels over the recent election outcomes in Edo and Ondo States. Obasanjo specifically made this call during his address at the prestigious Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum held at Yale University in the United States, where he presented a paper titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria.”

Responding to the call, the former two-term governor of Abia State noted that the removal of the INEC boss falls under the powers of President Tinubu and the National Council of States.

Ikpeazu made this statement in Abuja during the public presentation of a book titled “Contemporary Legal Cooperation: China and Africa – A Comparative Survey of Legal Systems” written by Nigerian journalist John Chucks Azu.

The theme of the accompanying dialogue, which was part of the event, was “New Horizons in Rule of Law, Judicial Efficiency and Dispute Resolution: Any Lessons of China and Nigeria?”

The former governor, who lost his senatorial election to Senator Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), had criticised INEC for declaring Abaribe the winner.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ikpeazu called on INEC to be more transparent and impartial in the conduct of elections. Referring to the Ondo election, he said:
“Unfortunately, my party lost, but that election has come and gone. I will advise INEC to be more transparent and impartial in the conduct of elections. When people are not happy with your process, you don’t talk about it but open up the space to let people come and see what you are doing. Sometimes, you meet them upfront.”

On the call for the sack of the INEC Chairman, Ikpeazu stated:
“It is not my call to make about a new leadership of INEC. That is the call of Mr President and the Council of State, and I think they will take that decision when the time comes.”

The former governor also commended the author of the book, John Azu, for compiling the work, which he described as a resource for understanding the legal framework between China and Africa. He said the book would be beneficial for both China and Nigeria in gaining a proper understanding of contemporary legal issues between the two regions.

The 245-page book explores the prospects of China-African cooperation and how it can support each country in socio-economic development. It provides insights into the growing global influence of China, its legal system, and the features that underpin China’s business engagements in Africa.

While presenting China as a rule-based system of governance, the book delves into the interconnectivity between the unique historical, ideological, and structural foundations of the legal systems of both regions and the opportunities for future cooperation.

The author, John Azu, said he was motivated by the need for Nigerian lawyers and the business community to leverage opportunities to learn and understand judicial and legal practices in other climes, especially within the Asian context.