Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, a veteran legal practitioner, has assumed the role of acting chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Agbamuche-Mbu replaced Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who concluded his tenure as INEC chairman on Tuesday.
Yakubu announced his decision during a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Tuesday. His final five-year term is set to expire in November 2025.
Agbamuche-Mbu, INEC’s new acting chairman, also chairs INEC’s Legal Services, Clearance & Complaints Committee (LSCCC) and will oversee the Commission’s operations until a substantive chairman is appointed.
Yakubu had previously completed his first term in November 2020, stepped down, and was later renominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a second term.
In a farewell address, the outgoing chairman thanked INEC staff and Resident Electoral Commissioners for their dedication, commitment, and professionalism throughout his tenure.
He described his time at the Commission as a period of significant challenges and accomplishments, reflecting on the collective effort required to manage Nigeria’s complex electoral process.
![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")
