Peter Ameh, the National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), has accused former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, of damaging Nigeria’s multi-party democracy during his 10-year tenure at the commission.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, Ameh alleged Yakubu’s leadership was characterised by high-handedness, disregard for opposition parties, and a failure to uphold transparency in the electoral process.

According to him, “Under Professor Mahmood’s tenure, the opposition suffered. He was not accommodating when it came to opposition or multi-party democracy; all he wanted was to crush it. The high-handedness was much.”

According to him, Yakubu’s administration had failed to build institutional capacity within INEC, claiming that the commission became elitist and detached from its core mandate.

“Mahmood spent 10 years at the commission, leaving that place, what you see is an elitist escort to protect him from the anger that was in the commission. There wasn’t any essence to build or lift the spirit of the staff,” he stated.

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He further criticised the former INEC chairman for mismanaging Nigeria’s electoral cycles and eroding public trust.

“When you talk about INEC, the commission’s primary duty is to conduct elections. During Mahmood’s tenure, there was corruption and mismanagement. Legitimacy was bastardized,” Ameh said, citing the Edo State election as an example of alleged irregularities.

“The conduct of the 2023 general elections is a bitter taste in everybody’s mouth; that is what he will be remembered for,” he added.

Ameh also faulted Yakubu for failing to take responsibility after the technical glitches that marred the 2023 polls. “He was supposed to come out and say what happened. He made promises that the results would be transmitted, but he failed. Maybe there was a glitch, but he should have set up an independent investigative body to find out what went wrong,” he argued.

He concluded that Yakubu’s actions weakened Nigeria’s democratic structure. “For me, Mahmood’s tenure damaged the multi-party democracy we have. He pushed and invested so much energy in Section 225A to undermine political parties. He turned the essence of our democratic system into a laughing stock,” Ameh stated.

The Former INEC Chair handed over to the commission’s oldest serving National Commissioner in the electoral body, May Agbamuche, as the Acting National President.

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