Barrister Darlington: “Yakubu Mohammed Should Be in Jail for What He Did to Nigeria”

VOP TV In-House Analysis —  Political Analysis, Barrister Darlington, has launched a scathing criticism against Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing him of undermining Nigeria’s democratic institutions through his handling of the 2023 general elections.

Speaking during a live programme on Voice of the People (VOP) TV, anchored by Mr. Chukwuma Okoro, Barrister Darlington said Yakubu’s actions on election night amounted to a betrayal of public trust and should have earned him a place behind bars.

“Yakubu Mohammed should be in jail for what he did to Nigeria. He destroyed our institutions and our lives. He plunged the country into a quagmire we may never come out of,” Darlington said passionately during the discussion.

He criticized the INEC Chairman for announcing presidential election results “in the middle of the night” without, according to him, proper verification or authentication.

“That decision he took in the middle of the night — when decent people were sleeping — to announce a result that was not authenticated, is unacceptable. Tell me any serious country that would allow that,” he queried.

When asked by the presenter, Mr. Okoro, to clarify where the authentication should have occurred, Barrister Darlington explained that there were reports and complaints about irregularities that INEC had earlier acknowledged but failed to address before the results were made public.

“He even said verification would continue the following morning around 8 or 9 a.m., but instead, he deceived everyone and announced the results at 2 or 3 a.m.,” he alleged.

Responding to a question on whether Professor Yakubu might have acted under pressure, Darlington dismissed such justification, saying that leadership requires courage and integrity even under difficult circumstances.

“Whatever pressure he was under, it shows he was not qualified for that office. Professor Humphrey Nwosu conducted elections under military rule — the most severe kind of pressure — yet he stood firm. Who could be stronger than the military in a civilian setting?” he asked.

Barrister Darlington’s remarks have added to the growing public discourse on electoral accountability and the need for stronger democratic institutions in Nigeria.