Professor  Mahmood Yakubu’s decision to reschedule election without thinking through the consequences shows lack of leadership in Nigeria.

It demonstrates confusion in the minds of some the political elites: mixing up private ambitions with vision.

All this centres on the incompetence that is commonplace with the present administration.

In reality there is no else to take responsibility than than the INEC chairman who was trusted with this national duty to serve his gift to Nigerians and the world.

Leadership and opportunities are inseparable and Prof. Yakubu has shown unpreparedness in a crucial project under his watch. A lost opportunity. A farce that shames democracy in Nigeria.

Why did Mahmood Yakubu do this? Could it be purely for logistics?

Or was it to favour one political party at the detriment of others.

Or was it for personal gain?

I know every well meaning  Nigerian would be pondering whether sacking  Mahmood was the right thing to do now following yesterday decision or to keep him dancing around gross incompetence.

People who don’t subscribe to incompetence would say that the best thing is to get rid of him before he plunged the nation into further uncertainty and shame.

But people who love incompetence would say keep him there, it is only a sorry ignominy. Let’s give him a chance to finish what he had started.

For anyone who knows leadership logic and judgement is crucial and an error in this magnitude is a huge problem. Once there is loss in credibility it is never restored.

Turning up to brief stakeholders without resigning does not make him competent leader. Of course whatever May have caused the rescheduling  of an election did not start yesterday. Like what other pros in planning stated: He should have made contingency plan. That planning is incomplete if there is no contingency arrangements.

Mahmood had established himself previously as a competent INEC chairman by saying he was very much prepared days and months before the D-day. Or is he using this strategy ‘ a matter of when facts change we change?’ Who knows what has changed hours before Saturday 16th of February 2019?

By all standards  this is a travesty. This lacklustre attitude of the chairman has eroded confidence in the results 2019 election. Even the poorest performing party would see Mahmood’s effort as counterproductive given the length of time and money involved.

For me there is no leadership in this Mahmood affair.

I doubt if he could come out from this embarrassment that has made him a laughing stock. This has put our democracy in more difficult position though this is not the first time.

It will be difficult for the Professor to get his reputations back both inside and outside Nigeria. It was not good for Nigerians. It was not good for democracy. It shows the mess Nigeria is in now. Nigerians are not happy for this trash talk: “Following a careful review of the implementation of its logistics and operational plan and determination to conduct free, fair and credible elections the commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the elections as scheduled is no longer feasible.”

This is damning and it’s only Professor Mahmood Yakubu that knows what happened.

Written by Emeka Anyanwu

Author of Kalango: Personified Story Of Nigeria