The Presidency has officially denied rumours circulating on social media that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the removal or replacement of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Reacting to the speculation on Monday afternoon, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Digital Media and New Media, O’tega Ogra, took to his (formerly Twitter) handle to debunk the reports, describing them as “fake news.”
“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 official source,” Ogra posted.
CAVEAT: 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.
— O’tega Ogra (@otegaogra) April 7, 2025
The clarification comes amid growing online chatter and viral posts claiming that a decision had been made by President Tinubu to sack the electoral umpire’s head and install a successor.
However, no official communication has been released by the Presidency, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), or INEC itself to confirm any such move.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who was reappointed for a second term in 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari, has faced mounting criticism over the conduct of the 2023 general elections. Still, there has been no indication from the Federal Government of any formal plan to remove him from office.
