INEC, Presidency Dismiss Rumours of INEC Chairman’s Sack

• INEC, Presidency deny rumours of Mahmood Yakubu’s sack.
• Officials urge public to disregard viral social media claims.
• No official announcement made regarding INEC leadership change.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Presidency have dismissed reports circulating on social media claiming that President Bola Tinubu has sacked the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.

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It was earlier reported over a viral WhatsApp message alleging that Tinubu had removed Yakubu and appointed Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan as the new INEC Chairman. The message stated, “INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu.”

Reacting to the claims, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, urged the public to disregard the information. Speaking with Vanguard newspaper, Oyekanmi said, “Please, disregard. It is not true.”

Similarly, the Presidency also refuted the rumour. Senior Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, described the report as “fake news” in a post on his 𝕏 handle on Monday.

Ogra wrote, “Disregard any fake news making the rounds about the replacement of the INEC Chairman. Any such announcement will come from the SGF’s office or any other official source.”

Also weighing in, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, described the report as baseless.

He stated on social media, “The story trending across media platforms to the effect that Mr President @officialABAT has either sacked the INEC chairman or has replaced the INEC chairman is not true and should be discountenanced. Decisions and or official acts of Mr President are communicated through official channels and not rumor mill.”

The Presidency and INEC have maintained that no change in the commission’s leadership has taken place.

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