The Director of News at Arise Television, Sumner Sambo, has called on the presidency to exercise patience in appointing a new chairman for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Sambo made the appeal on Tuesday while speaking on Prime Time, a programme on Arise TV, where he emphasized the importance of prioritizing institutional reforms over a hurried replacement process.
His comments come barely a day after Prof. Mahmood Yakubu officially concluded his tenure as INEC Chairman and handed over to National Commissioner May Agbamuche-Mbu, who now serves in an acting capacity.
According to Sambo, the successive exit of former INEC chairmen—Prof. Attahiru Jega and Prof. Yakubu—should prompt deep reflection on the kind of leadership the commission needs going forward.
“The presidency should not be in a rush to make a new appointment without first ensuring that necessary institutional reforms are in place,” he said.
Sambo further debunked rumours suggesting that President Bola Tinubu directed Yakubu to step aside, noting that such an action does not fall within the president’s constitutional powers.