The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied in strong terms the news making the rounds of the death of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
INEC, in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, described the news that the nation’s chief returning officer died in a London hospital as fake, saying, on the contrary, the electoral umpire is hale and hearty.
The statement reads: “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. In fact, he has 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 public may recall that mischief-makers on the social media carried a similar fake story in 2021. Three years later, they are spreading the same rumour again.
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.