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BREAKING: Tinubu Directs INEC Chairman Yakubu To Immediately Proceed On Leave For ‘Betraying APC,’ Set To Nominate Successor
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
The Federal Government and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have reached far-reaching resolutions at the conciliation meetings convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The meetings, held on 22nd and 27th October, 2026 at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Abuja, were sequel to the communique issued at the end of the Joint meeting of the Central Working Committee (CWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) of the NLC.
The meeting was chaired by the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, CON, with representatives of the Federal Government in attendance, while the NLC delegation was led by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.
After extensive deliberations on the issues raised, the meeting resolved as follows:
1. National Minimum Wage: It was agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meeting immediately. However, there is a disagreement on the effective date of implementation.
2. Reduction in Petroleum Pump Price and Palliatives:
i. Federal Government will pay a transport intervention of Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000) across all levels for a period of six (6) months, commencing from November 2026.
ii. Peculiar Allowance has been approved by the Federal Government with effect from 1st May, 2026. Payment of arrears will commence in November 2026 in three equal monthly instalments.
iii. Nineteen (19) months arrears of allowances for health workers will be redeemed within three (3) months with effect from December 2026.
3. Tax Relief for Workers: As tax is a statutory matter, the issue of tax relief for workers will be taken to the National Executive Council (NEC).
4. Hazard Allowance for Agricultural Workers: The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has submitted the list of beneficiaries and cost implications to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) for verification. Verification is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which the template for implementation will be issued by NSIWC.
5. CONHESS Adjustment: The NSIWC promised to complete the update of the cost implication within three (3) weeks to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to take a decision on the CONHESS adjustment.
The meeting also urged State and Local Governments to key into the intervention process, while unions were enjoined to push for its implementation at their respective levels.
Both parties agreed to reconvene after one month to appraise the level of implementation of the resolutions.
The meeting had in attendance the DG Budget, Mr. Tanimu Yakubu; Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, OHCSF, Dr. Garba Abdul S.U.; Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, CON; NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero; and National Secretary, JNPSNC, Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga.
The National Assembly received a comprehensive list of proposed new local government areas (LGAs) across several states in Nigeria as of January, 2026.
The submission was reported to have included requests from multiple states, reflecting demands for administrative expansion and closer governance.
Nigerian federal workers are awaiting their salary payments following a social media post claiming that state government workers have received their salaries, with federal workers expected to be paid from Monday.
The update was shared by Naija Updates in the IPPIS Salary Discussion Group on Facebook, where the post announced that state workers had been paid and urged federal workers to anticipate their own payments.
The post generated engagement among Facebook users, attracting reactions and comments from members of the group interested in salary updates and workers’ welfare.
However, the claim that state workers have been paid and that federal salary payments will begin on Monday has not been independently confirmed. The post did not identify the specific states whose workers had received their salaries or provide an official statement from the Federal Government.
Federal workers are therefore advised to rely on official communications from their respective ministries, departments and agencies, as well as relevant government payroll authorities, for accurate information regarding salary disbursements.
The development comes amid continued public interest in salary payment schedules and the welfare of Nigerian workers.
MinimumWage: FG, NLC Reach Agreement At Conciliation Meeting, Details Emerge
Full List Of Proposed New Local Government Areas Submitted To National Assembly In 2026
