Fact Check: Nigerian electoral commission chairman has not been fired, authorities say
The chairman of Nigeria's electoral commission has not been fired from his role, according to spokespersons for the voting body and the federal government, contrary to a claim made online.
Posts, opens new tab on Facebook on April 7 said Nigerian President Bola Tinubu had replaced Mahmood Yakubu, opens new tab, the chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with Professor Bashiru Olamilekan.
Some included a photo of the apparent new chairman and described him as 'an Ogun-born media guru'.
However, an INEC spokesman and two presidential aides have all said the claim is false. The photo of a man shared by some posts shows a senator who has a different name and who says he is neither from the Nigerian state of Ogun nor a 'media guru'.
There are also photos online of Yakubu representing INEC in public since the posts appeared online.
YAKUBU REMAINS INEC CHAIR
'Please disregard the story. The INEC Chairman has not been sacked,' said Rotimi L. Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, who spoke to Reuters via email.
On X, opens new tab, a senior special assistant to Nigeria's president said a legitimate change would be announced either by the secretary to the government, a powerful position that coordinates between ministries and the presidency, or another official source. The claim is 'fake news', he said.
Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to President Tinubu, also went on X, opens new tab to say the claim was false and said any announcement of this type would be made through official channels 'not rumor mill'.
Bwala did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Yakubu has represented INEC in public since the claim appeared online on April 7, as evidenced by official photographs posted on INEC's Facebook page on April 8, opens new tab and April 10, opens new tab.
TRACING PROFESSOR OLAMILEKAN
The INEC spokesman told Reuters he had never heard of a Professor Bashiru Olamilekan.
The individual in the photo used by some of the Facebook posts shows Ajibola Basiru, a senator in the Nigerian state of Osun, opens new tab and national secretary of the ruling All Progressive Congress party.
'I'm neither a media guru nor born In Ogun! A full born Osogbo Oroki man has metamorphosed to another person in the minds of fake news merchants!!!' Basiru said in an April 7 X post, opens new tab, referencing one of the Facebook posts.
Basiru did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Reuters did not locate an Ogun-born professor and media guru called Bashiru Olamilekan.
There is, however, an Ogun state blogger, opens new tab called Bashiru Hammed Adewale Olamilekan, who in 2022 was arrested and shortly later released, opens new tab after republishing an article that alleged the state governor, opens new tab had a criminal record, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, opens new tab.
Olamilekan continues to publish, opens new tab on his website, though he has not said anything publicly, opens new tab about the INEC claim. He did not respond to a request for comment.
VERDICT
False. A spokesperson for the INEC chairman and two aides to Nigeria's president say the claim is false. Photos show Yakubu has publicly represented the INEC in his role as chairman since the claim appeared online.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.
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