The supposed death of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, has been denied by the commission in social media reports.
Yakubu reportedly passed away at a London hospital, according to unverified reports that first appeared on Monday, December 9, 2024.
But in a statement released on Saturday, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the INEC Chairman’s chief press secretary, urged the public to ignore the rumours and affirmed that Yakubu is still alive and well.
“A portion of social media has been spreading a bogus news story that claims Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, died in a London hospital. This has caught our attention. The narrative debuted on Monday, December 9, 2024.
“We thus urge the public to ignore the misinformation. “Prof. Yakubu is healthy and well,” Oyekanmi said.
In addition, the commission explained that the INEC chairman hasn’t visited London in the previous two years.
“It has been two years since Yakubu last visited London. He attended a meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, which was interactive.
“Additionally, he presided over the commission’s meeting with the resident electoral commissioners on Thursday, December 12, 2024. Yesterday, Friday, December 13, 2024, both events received extensive television coverage and made the top pages of the majority of newspapers,” the statement emphasised.
However, INEC recalls that the same fraudulent assertions were made three years after a similar fake news report appeared in 2021.
The panel denounced the dissemination of such false information and cautioned those who started and propagated the rumours to be aware of the damage they do to people and society as a whole.
To counter the growing menace of false news, INEC reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with reliable media experts.
