Fake news merchants reported Yakubu’s death in 2021 – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has dismissed the rumoured death of its Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu.

Social media was awash on Monday, December 9, 2024, with false information that Yakubu had died in a London hospital.

However, the commission in a statement on Saturday by Yakubu’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi, appealed to the public to disregard the rumour, confirming that the chairman was alive, well, and in good health.

“Our attention has been drawn to a fake news narrative circulated by a section of social media claiming the purported death of the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu at a London hospital. The story first appeared on Monday, December 9, 2024.

“We hereby appeal to the public to disregard the rumour. Prof. Yakubu is alive, hale, and hearty,” Oyekanmi noted.

The commission further clarified that the INEC Chairman had not traveled to London in the past two years.

“Yakubu 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, December 12, 2024. Both events were widely covered on television and reported on the front pages of most newspapers yesterday, Friday, December 13, 2024,” the statement stressed.

INEC also recalled that a similar fake news story had circulated in 2021, with the same false claims being repeated three years later.

The commission condemned the spread of the false information, warning that those responsible for initiating and disseminating the rumours should be mindful of the harm they cause to individuals and society at large.