The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is one of the most important and scrutinised jobs in Nigeria. The President nominates the chairman, the Senate confirms them, and they serve a five-year term that can be renewed once. Six people have led INEC since the return to democracy.
Ephraim Akpata (1998–2000)
Justice Ephraim Akpata, a retired Supreme Court judge, led the newly created INEC through the rushed 1998–1999 transition from military rule. In under a year, his commission registered voters and ran local, state, National Assembly and presidential elections. Observers described the presidential vote as seriously flawed, but the transition delivered civilian rule on 29 May 1999. Akpata died in office in January 2000.
Abel Guobadia (2000–2005)
Abel Guobadia, a former diplomat and academic, oversaw the 2003 general elections, the first organised by a civilian government in two decades. He defended the results against charges of widespread rigging, while EU observers reported serious irregularities in several states.
Maurice Iwu (2005–2010)
Professor Maurice Iwu led INEC through the 2007 elections, widely regarded as the worst of the Fourth Republic. His commission’s attempt to keep Atiku Abubakar off the ballot was overturned by the Supreme Court days before the vote, forcing a hurried reprint of ballot papers. He was removed in April 2010.
Attahiru Jega (2010–2015)
Professor Attahiru Jega, a political scientist and former president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010. He introduced the biometric voter register (2011), permanent voter cards and smart card readers (2015). He was praised for his calm handling of the 2015 national collation, when an opposition loss for the ruling party passed peacefully.
Mahmood Yakubu (2015–2025)
Professor Mahmood Yakubu was appointed in 2015 and reappointed in 2020, making him the first INEC chairman to serve two full terms. His tenure saw the IReV results portal (2020), the BVAS machine and the Electoral Act 2022. He also faced the postponement of the 2019 elections on polling day and the failure to upload presidential results in real time in 2023. INEC recorded around 50 attacks on its offices across 15 states between 2019 and 2022.
Joash Amupitan (since 2025)
Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, a law professor, was confirmed by the Senate on 16 October 2025 and sworn in shortly afterwards. In February 2026 he released the timetable for the 2027 general elections, which will be the first held under the amended Electoral Act 2026.
Between chairmen, a national commissioner usually acts. Amina Zakari served as acting chairman in 2015 between Jega’s departure and Yakubu’s appointment.
