The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has refuted the report indicating that its chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, is dead.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Mr. Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, on Saturday, INEC described the story as fake, stressing that the chairman was hale and hearty.
The statement reads in part:
“Our attention has been drawn to a fake news narrative circulated by a section of the social media claiming the purported death of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at a London hospital. The story first appeared on Monday, 9th December 2024.
“We hereby appeal to the public to disregard the rumour. Prof. Yakubu is alive, hale and hearty.”
The commission stated that the chairman had, in fact, not travelled to London in the last two years.
“He was present at an interactive meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on Wednesday, 11th December 2024. He also chaired the Commission’s meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners on Thursday, 12th December 2024. Both events were widely covered on television and reported on the front pages of most newspapers yesterday, Friday 13th December 2024,” the commission stated.
The commission recalled that a similar fake story was reported in 2021.
“Three years later, they are spreading the same rumour again,” it stated.
It warned that “Those who indulge in this practice, as well as those who spread it, should be mindful of its effect not only on the individual but also the wider society.
“The commission will continue to work with genuine media professionals to combat the scourge of fake news and the danger it poses to society.”
