We have become aware of a false narrative that has been spreading on social media that claims Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC Chairman, died in a hospital in London.
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The story was initially published on Monday, December 9, 2024. The public is hereby urged to ignore the rumour. Professor Yakubu is still very much alive and well. He hasn’t been to London in the past two years, in fact. On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, he participated in an interactive meeting with the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters.
Additionally, on Thursday, December 12, 2024, he presided over the Commission’s meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners. Yesterday, Friday, December 13, 2024, both events received extensive television coverage and made the front pages of the majority of publications.
The public might remember a similar false narrative spread by social media miscreants in 2021.
They are circulating the same rumour three years later. Both those who engage in this behaviour and those who propagate it ought to be aware of how it affects both the individual and society at large.
To combat fake news and the threat it poses to society, the Commission will keep collaborating with real media professionals. Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, INEC, Saturday, December 14, 2024, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi.
