BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim:
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu Arrested in the United States.
Verdict:
False! Verified evidence shows Mahmood Yakubu was neither arrested nor in the US at the time the claim went viral.
Full Text
Multiple Facebook posts and viral social media messages have claimed that Prof Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairperson of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was arrested in Washington D.C., United States.
The post alleges that Yakubu was in the US for a medical visit and was apprehended upon arrival, supposedly over the controversial conduct of Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election, which resulted in the victory of Bola Tinubu.
One such post reads: “Just In: INEC Chairman Arrested in Washington D.C. Upon Arrival for Medical Visit. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was reportedly arrested in Washington D.C. immediately after arriving in the country for a medical visit. According to sources, his arrest is linked to the controversial 2023 presidential election…”
The claim was widely shared on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here sparking speculations about potential political ramifications and international intervention in Nigeria’s electoral affairs.
Background and Context
Prof Mahmood Yakubu was first appointed as INEC chairman in November 2015 and reappointed for a second term in 2020. He has supervised two general elections (2019 and 2023).
The 2023 presidential election was fiercely contested, with opposition parties rejecting the result, citing alleged irregularities and issues with the result transmission. Despite the controversy, Nigeria’s Supreme Court upheld President Tinubu’s victory in October 2023.
On 7 April 2025, in response to another viral rumour that President Tinubu had sacked Yakubu, presidential aide O’tega Ogra clarified that no such action had been taken, dismissing the rumour as fake news.
Verification
FactCheckAfrica conducted a verification of the viral arrest claim and found no credible evidence to support it. The available evidence indicates that Yakubu was not in the US when the arrest rumours started spreading online.
We found that on 8 April 2025, the same day the arrest claim went viral, Prof Mahmood Yakubu presided over INEC’s weekly management meeting at its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. The commission posted photos of the meeting on its official X account, showing Yakubu physically present and engaged in discussions.
Two days later, on 10 April, he delivered a speech at the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) Extraordinary General Assembly held in Banjul, The Gambia. His attendance was confirmed through photographs shared on the official ECONEC website and INEC’s verified social media platforms.
No reputable local or international media has reported Yakubu’s alleged arrest in the US. A search of news sources yielded zero results corroborating the claim.
Conclusion
There is no evidence that Prof Mahmood Yakubu was arrested in the United States. Instead, he was actively engaged in official duties in Nigeria and The Gambia during the time the claim was circulating. The viral posts are false and misleading and appear to be part of recurring misinformation targeting Nigeria’s electoral institutions.
