Some lawyers in the country have passed a vote of confidence on the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, following calls for his sack or resignation.

The lawyers described the call for his sack as the handiwork of mischief makers and also condemned them for making allegations that cannot be aubstantiated against the INEC chairman to blackmail him.

The lawyers under the auspices of Consortium of Nigerian Lawyers, in a petition addressed to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak, through the High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, said the malicious claims of bribery and corruption were propagated by faceless individuals.

“We, the undersigned Nigerian lawyers, write this petition with great concern and urgency regarding the unsubstantiated and fake allegations made against Mallam Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). We implore you to address this issue and rectify the damage caused to Mallam Yakubu’s reputation and the sanctity of the electoral process in Nigeria.

“The allegations in question, as reported by the conspiracy-driven news outlets and social media, claim that Mallam Yakubu engaged in corrupt practices and has accepted bribes. These malicious claims were propagated by faceless individuals who lack any form of credibility or substantiation for their accusations. It is clear that these allegations are baseless and intended solely to tarnish the reputation of Mallam Yakubu and undermine the integrity of INEC,” they said.