Amaechi Slams INEC Chairman Yakubu, Says APC Would Not Have Won in 2015 Under His Watch

Former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has taken a swipe at the current Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, claiming that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not have won the 2015 general elections if Yakubu had been in charge at the time.

Speaking in an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday night, Amaechi praised former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, for conducting a transparent and credible electoral process that paved the way for the APC’s registration and eventual victory in 2015.

“The current chairman of INEC, if he was chairman in 2015, we would not have won,” Amaechi said. “That’s an important point. May God bless Jega. Because the ground rules were clear. The current chairman of INEC can only be compared to Iwu.”

Amaechi alleged that INEC under Yakubu’s leadership operates with bias and tends to favor those in power, undermining the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

He credited Jega’s openness and fairness as key factors in the APC’s emergence: “When we registered APC, Jega opened the door and we complied with the requirements. He got APC registered. The current chairman, even if you comply, would not register you.”

The former minister also expressed concern over what he described as the worsening state of Nigeria’s electoral system, accusing INEC under Yakubu of lacking impartiality.

“Already, INEC is biased. So, the only thing I can tell you now is that, looking at the way Nigeria has run the election, even the Option A4 led us forward. At least a lot of transparency. You were sure of what was going on. Then we came back to meet people like Iwu and others and the current one and things got worse,” he said.

Amaechi concluded by suggesting that the electoral system has been hijacked, stating, “So, you don’t know whether to say we are progressing or regressing. There’s a state capture using the electoral institution as a machine.”