The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately disclose details of the process to appoint a successor to Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ends in November 2025.
In a letter dated 27 September 2025 and signed by deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP warned that “the selection and appointment process cannot and should not be a closed shop.”
The group urged Tinubu to reveal the number and names of candidates under consideration, and to confirm whether the Council of State as constitutionally required has been or will be consulted.
SERAP also pressed Tinubu to revisit his earlier appointments of alleged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), and replace them with individuals free from partisan affiliations.
“Openness and transparency in the process would improve public trust in INEC’s independence and impartiality,” SERAP stated, stressing that perception plays a crucial role in electoral credibility.
According to the group, secrecy in the selection process risks undermining INEC’s autonomy, public confidence, and the constitutional right of Nigerians to free and fair elections.
SERAP argued that anyone appointed as INEC chairman must be demonstrably independent, impartial, and non-partisan, adding that “without an independent and impartial INEC, the democratic rights of Nigerians would remain illusory.”
Citing constitutional and international obligations, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, SERAP maintained that transparency in appointments would strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and help rebuild public trust following criticisms of INEC’s performance during the 2023 general elections.
The watchdog has given Tinubu seven days to comply or face legal action.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
