FACT-CHECK: Viral Claim That Judge Who Upheld Tinubu’s 2023 Election Win Went Blind After London Surgery Is False!
BY: Ibraheem Muhammad Mustapha
CLAIM:
Viral posts claim the judge who chaired the tribunal upholding President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 election victory has gone blind after eye surgery in London.
Verdict:
False. The claim uses the wrong name, the wrong photograph, and is unsupported by any credible evidence.
Verification:
Posts circulating on X, Facebook, Instagram and Thread, since July 3, 2026 name the judge as “Justice Tsamma Abubakar.” The judge who actually chaired the five-member Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that upheld President Bola Tinubu’s victory in October 2023 is Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, a male jurist from Bauchi State.
Other presiding justices were Stephen Adah, Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf, Moses Ugo and Abba Mohammed. No judge named “Justice Tsamma Abubakar” exists in that proceeding or in Nigeria’s superior court records as of today.
Justice Tsammani was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in February 2024, following an earlier recommendation from the National Judicial Council on December 6 2023 and later confirmation by the Senate on December 21 2023. He is currently serving on that court. No statement from the Supreme Court, his family, his representatives, or any credible news organisation confirms any health incident.
This is the second fabricated health claim targeting Tsammani since the tribunal’s ruling. In October 2023, separate posts falselyclaimed he was battling prostate cancer and confined to a wheel chair.
Conclusion:
The viral claim is false as it misnames the judge, misattributes his identity to a photo of Ghana’s former Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, and is unsupported by any statement from Nigeria’s judiciary, Justice Tsammani, or credible news reporting.
