May Agbamuche-Mbu was, on Tuesday, appointed as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in acting capacity.
A National Commissioner at the INEC, May took over from Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who is proceeding on a terminal leave.
Yakubu announced the formal handover of duties during a stakeholders’ meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners held at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, Yakubu explained that he was stepping down in accordance with Section 306, Subsections 1 and 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The new INEC acting Chairman is a seasoned legal practitioner with over three decades of experience working with diverse clients in both the public and private sector.
A native of Delta State, May Agbamuche-Mbu was born in Kano where she attended St. Louis Secondary School.
She graduated from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1984 where she obtained a LLB in Law degree.
After her call to the Bar in 1985, the new acting INEC Chairman attended the College of Law, London and qualified as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
May has an LLM with specialisation in Commercial and Corporate Law from Queen Mary and Westfield College, London.
She also completed two postgraduate degree programmes in International Dispute Resolution and International Business Law, respectively.
May is also an expert in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of the United Kingdom Nigeria branch, where she served as Secretary to the Institute.
Between March 2010 and November 2011, May served on the Presidential Projects Assessment Committee (PPAC) as the sole solicitor, evaluating an extensive nationwide portfolio of major unfinished public projects in Nigeria.
In March 2016, she was appointed a member of the Ministerial Committee set up to prepare The Road Map for the Solid Minerals Sector.
Before her appointment as a National Commissioner for INEC, May was the managing partner of her law firm, Norfolk Partners, based in Lagos.
May Agbamuche-Mbu was also the editor of THISDAY LAWYER, a weekly legal pullout in one of the nation’s most widely read newspapers.
From January 2014 to September 2016, May published 120 legal editorials under her column, LEGAL EAGLE.
Her consistent exposure to public affairs/related projects put her in a unique position to build a reputable body of commentary and expert opinion in many specialised areas.
The new INEC acting Chairman’s work remains a source of public advocacy on many national and international issues.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu is retiring after having served as the INEC Chairman for 10 years.
