The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially dismissed circulating rumors on social media regarding the supposed death of its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Claims emerged on December 9, 2024, asserting that Yakubu had passed away in a hospital in London.
In a statement released on Saturday, Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, urged the public to ignore these false reports, affirming that Yakubu is alive, in good health, and doing well.
“We have noted a misleading narrative propagated by certain social media outlets claiming that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has died in a London hospital. This misinformation first appeared on Monday, December 9, 2024,” Oyekanmi stated. “We request the public to disregard these rumors; Prof. Yakubu is alive, well, and in good spirits.”
The commission also clarified that the INEC Chairman has not traveled to London in the last two years. “Contrary to the reports, Yakubu has not been to London since then. He participated in an interactive session with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. Additionally, he presided over a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners on Thursday, December 12, 2024. Both events received extensive coverage on television and were prominently featured in major newspapers the following day,” the statement emphasized.
INEC further noted that a similar unfounded rumor regarding Yakubu’s death had circulated in 2021, with identical false assertions resurfacing three years later. The commission condemned the distribution of such misleading information and cautioned those responsible for generating and sharing these rumors about the potential damage they inflict on individuals and society as a whole.
In light of this incident, INEC reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with reputable media professionals to combat the rising challenge of fake news.
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