INEC Leadership: Lawan Denies Receiving Bribe To Confirm Yakubu’s Reappointment

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has denied reports that he collected ₦2 billion from former Professor Mahmood Yakubu to facilitate his reappointment as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Senate President (Media), Ola Awoniyi, said the report by SaharaReporters is “yet another incident of hallucination by the comical characters operating the fabricated news platform”.

The statement reads partly: “The attention of the Office of the Senate President has been drawn to a report by SaharaReporters alleging that a group led by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, collected N2billion from Professor Mahmood Yakubu to facilitate the confirmation of his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari to a fresh five-year tenure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“It is noteworthy that the publication, as always with its ridiculous fabricated reports, could not even expand the entertainment of its readers by providing the names of members of the fictitious group and where the group operates from.

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“To be sure, that group exists only in the mischievious imagination of the writer of the fiction.”

The statement also stated that only the President can nominate a candidate for appointment or reappointment as Chairman of INEC while the Senate can only confirm or reject after due screening.

“The Senate President is only a presiding officer of the Senate and does not lead any group in or outside the august chamber that acts in any way to circumvent the processes of the Senate.

“We reassure Nigerians that the Senate President did not receive any gratification, in his or behalf of others, to help Professor Yakubu get a second term as chairman of INEC,” it added.