INEC Chairman Yakubu not assassinated, report misleading -Police

The Anambra State Police Command has refuted online reports alleging the assassination of  Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  Prof Mahmood Yakubu, in the state.

The country’s chief electoral umpire was on Tuesday allegedly assassinated by a gang of hoodlums in Anambra State, which is billed to elect a new governor on Saturday.

However, debunking the report in a statement, DSP Nkeiruka Nwode, the Zonal PRO/Head of Police Media Team for the Anambra governorship election, described it as “false and absolutely misleading”.

She disclosed that Yakubu had held a meeting with stakeholders in Awka, adding that INEC was set to ensure a peaceful election in the state.

“The attention of the Anambra State Police command has been drawn to the news trending on social media and other conventional media on the purported killing of the chairman Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) where media were giving different correlations,” the statement partly read.

“For the avoidance of doubt and the purpose of clarity, the command wishes to state that the Independent Electoral Commission Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu held a stakeholder meeting in Awka today November 2, 2021, and stated the preparedness of the commission to hold a peaceful election in the state. While the security agencies are ever ready to enforce their statutory responsibility to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

“The CP hereby urges the journalists and other well-meaning individuals to join the fight against crime reporting contents that don’t contrast the current state of security in the society as they too should be agents of Law and order.

“Given the foregoing, the CP want to state unequivocally that the publication is false and misleading. It is a figment of imagination deliberately orchestrated by the mischief-makers to cause unnecessary tension and chaos in the polity.”