The Independent National Electoral Commission debunked a rumour about the removal of its chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, by President Bola Tinubu and emphasised the importance of verifying information to combat false news.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has decried the impact of false information on the public space, as it continues to pose a huge challenge not only to the commission but also to all institutions and sectors in the country.

Yesterday, the commission was in the news after a viral WhatsApp message indicated that the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Professor Yakubu Mahmood, has been sacked by President Bola Tinubu and replaced by Professor Olamilekan.

The WhatsApp message without any sourcing was quoted as saying that “INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu.”

The information that caught the attention of the presidency was debunked by the senior special adviser to the president on digital and new media, O’tega Ogra, who described the news as false.

The presidential spokesperson clarified that the announcement would have originated from the office of the Secretary to the General of the Federation, rather than being a random piece of information.

“The Nigerian public should disregard any fake news making the rounds about the replacement of the INEC Chairman. Any such announcement will come from the SGF’s office or any other appropriate official source,” Ogra wrote on his official X handle yesterday.

Appointed as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission in October 2015 by the former President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu is serving his second tenure, which is expected to end towards the end of 2025. However, the recent information about his removal has begun to generate misleading reactions among Nigerians.

Despite the debunking of the viral information, the messages have continued to make the rounds on social media about the removal of the INEC chairman. As a result, NDR reached out to the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, on the impact of such information on the commission.

Mr. Oyekanmi, who refuted the information, expressed regret over the detrimental effects of fake news on Nigerian institutions, asserting that false information has become a persistent issue.

He, however, stated that despite the growing false information on the commission, INEC has designed a template to anticipate and stay ahead of the false information by sharing the counter information and operating an open-door policy with the media to stay ahead of the challenges.

He also called for citizens to be conscious of verification and fact-checking to mitigate the spread of false narratives in the public domain, adding that it would serve as armour against information disorder in the country.

“The negative impact of fake news is not peculiar to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) alone. Ask around. Various public and private institutions across all sectors in the country are also feeling the impact. It’s not a good thing, and it is not going away anytime soon. The Commission, along with other institutions, views this phenomenon as a significant challenge.

“But the Commission has been coping. We have, through our proactive communication team, designed a template to anticipate and stay ahead of the problems associated with fake news. We proactively share information about electoral activities and carry stakeholders along in everything that we do. We also have an open-door policy, making it easy for stakeholders and the media to have access to information as much as possible.

“Citizens should be wary of their sources of information. Just because your brother or sister shared a piece of information does not necessarily mean that it is true. Fact-checking should become the norm so that we don’t help mischievous people share fake narratives. When we refuse to share, it will not go viral.

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