President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reportedly directed the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to proceed on leave ahead of the expiration of his tenure.

Insider sources say the move comes in response to what they described as Mahmood’s “last-minute betrayal” of the All Progressives Congress government that appointed him.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma reportedly met with President Tinubu shortly after the president returned from a 12-day working vacation, alleging that Mahmood’s efforts to register new political parties at the end of his tenure had disrupted Tinubu’s preparations for a second term.

The governor also claimed that Mahmood was covertly backing a candidate in the Imo State governorship election.

Following this briefing, Tinubu reportedly requested that Mahmood suspend all official duties and proceed on terminal leave.

The decision has thrown the commission’s schedule into disarray, leading to the abrupt cancellation of Mahmood’s final quarterly consultative meeting with political parties, as well as a planned session with civil society organisations.

Tinubu is now expected to submit the name of a new INEC Chairman to the National Assembly in the coming days.

Mahmood was appointed to office by then-President Muhammadu Buhari on October 21, 2015, succeeding acting chairperson, Amina Zakari.

In March, SaharaReporters reported that a prominent politician from Oghara, Delta State, was actively pushing for a compromised figure to become the next INEC chairman, setting the stage for widespread electoral fraud.

Sources close to the matter implicated former Delta State Governor James Ibori, a convicted ex-governor who returned to Nigeria after serving a sentence in the United Kingdom for looting public funds.

It was learnt that Ibori was maneuvering to position his associate and kinsman, Moses Ogbe, as the next INEC Chairman to ensure direct control over the rigging of the 2027 elections.

Ibori’s influence in the current political landscape remains significant. His past political manipulations include the appointment of his in-law, Chinedu Ebie, as Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Governing Board, and his daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, as Chairperson of the House Committee on NDDC.

Moses Ogbe is a former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) under Prof. Maurice Iwu’s tenure.

Moses Ogbe’s Troubling Track Record

SaharaReporters’ investigation into Ogbe’s past reveals a deeply concerning history of electoral manipulation. Ogbe, once a staunch member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was nominated by Ibori for a REC position during a period marked by widespread election rigging.

He was allegedly part of a network of election manipulators working closely with Prof. Iwu, notorious for overseeing Nigeria’s deeply flawed 2007 general election, an election so discredited that then-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua admitted its failures and initiated electoral reforms.

Ogbe’s tenure as REC in Lagos State during the 2003 elections reportedly saw significant electoral malpractices under the administration of then-Governor Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu has a habit of surrounding himself with individuals he has previously worked with or known, as he advances politically.

For example, in 1999, the current Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, served as Tinubu’s Chief Security Officer, holding the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police at the time. At the time, Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State.

Earlier in September, INEC officially recognised former Senate President, Senator David Mark, as National Chairman and former Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), bringing to an end to months of internal wrangling over the party’s leadership.

The electoral body also confirmed Dr. Mani Ibrahim as National Treasurer, alongside Akibu Dalhatu and Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, who now serve as National Financial Secretary and National Legal Adviser, respectively.

SaharaReporters confirmed that the names of the newly recognised ADC leaders had been uploaded to the Commission’s official website.

-Source: SaharaReporters

SaharaReporters gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday morning when the gunmen stormed a police checkpoint in the community.

Bandits have launched another deadly attack in Ilafin community, Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing two police officers on duty.

SaharaReporters gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday morning when the gunmen stormed a police checkpoint in the community.

A video obtained by SaharaReporters shows good Samaritans rushing to the scene to rescue the victims, though the officers’ lifeless bodies could be seen lying on the ground.

In a related incident, SaharaReporters reported on September 10, 2025, that three police officers were killed when gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area, Kogi State.

According to local sources, the incident occurred in the border town, which shares a boundary with Kwara State. The gunmen reportedly stormed the checkpoint, engaging the police officers in a fierce gun battle.

“The assailants came for their guns, which they carted away. Three police officers died in the gun battle,” a source at the scene told SaharaReporters.

Videos obtained by SaharaReporters show vehicles allegedly used by the attackers as they fled the area after the assault.

BREAKING: Bandits Kill Two Police Officers In Fresh Attack On Checkpoint In Kogi | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/U0EdqglY0e pic.twitter.com/agWD9v0ZtA

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) September 21, 2025

Unknown gunmen have reportedly abducted the senior special assistant on Humanitarian Services to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Dr. Muhammed Egye Osolafia, popularly known as Deedat.

According to Leadership, Osolafia was abducted from his residence in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital.

He was reportedly abducted upon arriving at his home in Tudun Amba area of Lafia on Saturday night.

According to reports, the gunmen stormed the area shooting sporadically into the air before heading straight for their target.

Osolafia’s colleague, Peter Ahemba who is the senior special adviser to Governor Sule on Public Affairs, confirmed the development to Leadership.

Ahemba who described the development as sad and unfortunate, said he received the news of the abduction from another colleague.

Osolafia’s abduction came about two months after the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Barrister Yusuf Musa was similarly abducted from his residence in Ungwan Nungu, also in Lafia.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State Command, SP Ramhan Nansel could not be immediately reached to confirm the incident.