Two days after President Bola Tinubu sacked Mele Kyari as the Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, rumoured surfaced on Monday that the same fate had befallen the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
While Kyari, who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari has been replaced by Kwara State-born energy expert, Bayo Ojulari, the Presidency has, however, said that Yakubu firmly remains in office.
According to the government, the story of his removal is a blatant lie.
The question may thus arise: who are behind the sack rumour?
Who want Yakubu out?
The posers become more relevant considering the fact that 2027 politics is already kicking off.
The removal report went viral early Monday, alleged that Yakubu had been removed from office and replaced with a certain Professor Bashiru Olamilekan in what was described as a “sweeping change” in the electoral body’s leadership.
Reacting to the claims, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, described the news as false and urged the public to disregard it.
“Disregard any fake news making the rounds about the replacement of the INEC Chairman,” Ogra wrote in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter).
He emphasised that any such decision or announcement would emanate from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation or another official communication channel.
“Any such announcement will come from the SGF’s office or any other official source,” he added.
The viral report, which caused a stir across various social media platforms, has since been dismissed as misinformation, with no official corroboration from the Presidency or any Federal agency.
