Olu Allen
Let’s not lie, as 2027 draws near, trust is the real ballot. Nigerians no longer fear who will win; we fear who will count the votes.
Enter May Agbamuche-Mbu, the acting Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Born in Kano, like me, she carries an impressive résumé: over three decades at the Bar, trained in England and Nigeria, member of several federal committees, and at INEC since 2016 where she headed Legal Services, Clearance, and Complaints.
On paper, she is not new to the system; she’s been part of its bloodstream for almost a decade.
If confirmed, she would become the first substantive female head of INEC, though not the first woman to act in the position.
That title belongs to Amina Bala Zakari, who briefly held the post in 2015.
But history rarely rewards the first; it remembers the one who made a difference. Agbamuche-Mbu’s challenge is not to break a record, it’s to rebuild trust.
Because trust in Nigeria is never built on CVs. it’s built on courage. The real question is not whether she knows the law, but whether she can stand up to power.
Can she resist the unseen hands that twist electoral umpires into political puppets? Can she make INEC more than a logo and a press statement?
Many Nigerians are tired of this recurring ritual: new face, same story.
The electoral body has become a revolving door. one where promises of “free and fair elections” dissolve under pressure from those who treat democracy like a private estate.
Since 2023, public confidence in INEC has fallen as sharply as the naira against the dollar.
And yet, as psychologists remind us, character is not revealed in comfort but under pressure.
The 2027 elections will corner May Agbamuche-Mbu. That is when we will learn whether her calm reflects grace, or compromise.
For now, she sits at the crossroads of hope and suspicion.
Nigerians don’t need another smooth talker; we need a reformer with steel in her spine, someone who understands that every rigged ballot is another nail in the nation’s coffin.
So yes, she’s qualified. But can she be trusted?
We’ll find out not by her words, but by how she handles the storms ahead.
Because in the end, a nation that cannot trust its referee will never believe in its game.
Allen writes for Stallion Times. He can be reached via mrallenolu@gmail.com
