No Shake-Up SAt INEC! Spokesman Clears The Air On Mahmood Yakubu’s Position

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refuted viral claims circulating on social media that President Bola Tinubu has dismissed its Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

Reports had surfaced via a widely shared WhatsApp message alleging that Tinubu had replaced Mahmood with Professor Bashiru Olamilekan. The message read: “INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu.”

However, speaking with Vanguard Newspaper, Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, firmly denied the rumor, stating, “Please, disregard. It is not true.”

The presidency also stepped in to debunk the report. On Monday, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, took to his (formerly Twitter) handle, calling the claims “fake news.”

He wrote: “Disregard any fake news making the rounds about the replacement of the INEC Chairman. Any such announcement would come from the office of the SGF or other official channels.”

Echoing the same stance, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, stated on social media that the story was completely unfounded.

“The trending story suggesting that Mr President @officialABAT has either sacked or replaced the INEC Chairman is false and should be ignored,” Bwala wrote. “Official actions and decisions of Mr President are conveyed through appropriate government platforms, not rumors.”