Founder of ANAP Foundation, Atedo Peterside, has strongly criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under its former chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, describing it as a “national disgrace.”

Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Peterside condemned the commission’s handling of elections, pointing to evidence of irregularities visible on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.

“I will never say never, but the INEC that was led by Mahmood Yakubu was a national disgrace,” he said. “You just have to go on their IReV. If you have time, I will take you there myself and show you result sheets they upload mutilated, sometimes with figures changed, and in some cases, they even forget to change the words.”

Peterside also faulted the judiciary for failing to safeguard electoral integrity and expressed support for proposed reforms that would shift the burden of proof in election petitions to INEC.

“This is where our judiciary has not lived up to the required standards,” he stated. “You can’t allow a situation where INEC can do anything, bring out rubbish results, mutilated and everything, and then argue that it’s for the victim to prove that what they’ve done is wrong, when even a blind man can see that what they’ve done is wrong.”

He warned that continued loss of public trust in both the electoral commission and the judiciary could push citizens to resort to self-help during future elections.

President Bola Tinubu swore in Professor Joash Amupitan as INEC Chairman on October 23, following his Senate confirmation. Amupitan succeeded Yakubu, who served from 2015 until October 2025.