Who is May Agbamuche-Mbu, new INEC chairman?

May Agbamuche-Mbu, a seasoned legal practitioner with more than three decades of experience, has emerged as the newly appointed Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), taking on one of Nigeria’s most influential public service roles at a pivotal moment for the nation’s democracy.

Although she hails from Delta State, Agbamuche-Mbu was born in Kano, where she attended St. Louis Secondary School before heading to the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), graduating with an LLB in Law in 1984. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985 and later attended the College of Law in London, qualifying as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Agbamuche-Mbu holds an LLM in Commercial and Corporate Law from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, and completed two additional postgraduate degree programmes in International Dispute Resolution and International Business Law.

An accomplished advocate of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (United Kingdom, Nigeria branch), where she once served as the Institute’s Secretary.

Her career spans both private practice and public service. Between March 2010 and November 2011, she was the sole solicitor to the Presidential Projects Assessment Committee (PPAC), evaluating large-scale national infrastructure projects. In March 2016, she served as a member of the Ministerial Committee tasked with developing a Road Map for Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector.

Before becoming an INEC National Commissioner, Agbamuche-Mbu was the Managing Partner of the Lagos-based law firm Norfolk Partners. She was also the editor of THISDAY Lawyer, a prominent weekly legal pullout in the national newspaper, and wrote 120 legal editorials under her column Legal Eagle between 2014 and 2016.

Her consistent engagement in national public affairs has made her a respected voice on legal reforms and governance issues.

Also read: INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu champions women’s inclusion

Now stepping in as Acting Chairman of INEC, Agbamuche-Mbu brings her vast legal expertise, policy experience, and commitment to institutional reforms to the country’s electoral body.

Rtn. Victor Ojelabi

Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.