By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclaimed social media reports that its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has been sacked by President Bola Tinubu.

A viral WhatsApp message had indicated that Mahmood was sacked and replaced with one Prof. Olamilekan.

“INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu has been replaced with Prof. Bashiru Olamilekan by President Tinubu,” the message, which had no attribution, read.

In response to a message from Vanguard, the Chief Press Secretary CPS to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, simply said: “Please, disregard. It is not true.”

Yakubu, who is rounding off his second tenure in office, is expected to exit the system towards the end of the year.

The process of appointing an INEC chairman is the President nominating a candidate and forwarding his particulars to the Department of State Services, DSS, for profiling.

After such screening, the President thereafter takes the name to the National Council of State for its advisory review. Based on the outcome, the President sends the name to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

Presidency, too

The Presidency also debunked the widespread report claiming that President Tinubu has sacked Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman.

The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Digital and New Media, O’tega Ogra, described the news as false.

Vice Admiral Ibot-Ete Ibas, the newly appointed Sole Administrator of Rivers State, has indeed made some key appointments.

As the administrator, he has appointed local government sole administrators and reconstituted the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) board.

This move is part of his efforts to oversee the state’s affairs, following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State due to persistent political crisis and instability.

Local Government Sole Administrators: Ibas has appointed administrators to manage the local governments, ensuring effective governance and stability at the local level.

RISIEC Board: The reconstituted board will oversee electoral processes in the state, ensuring fairness and transparency.

As a seasoned naval officer and diplomat, Vice Admiral Ibas brings his expertise to the role.

His background includes serving as the 22nd Chief of Naval Staff and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana.

His experience will likely shape his approach to managing the state’s affairs and addressing the current challenges.

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‎Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo on Tuesday welcomed thousands of supporters of late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah from the All Progressives Congress, APC, into the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA.
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‎Addressing the decamping members of the support groups who are mostly from All Progressives Congress, APC, Soludo said: “I want to welcome you people into the big tent of the APGA. I want to welcome all of you back into the APGA fold.
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‎“I welcome you to APGA, this is where you belong. This is the place where every Anambra person should belong, because the ideology of APGA is in sync with what Anambra stands for. We are welcoming you with open arms, and I want to tell you that in APGA, we are all equal as far as membership is concerned, not minding how many years you have been in the party.
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‎Leader of the defecting members of the Ifeanyi Ubah’s support groups from APC, Chuks Kamen Ogbonna in his speech urged APGA members to accept them as part of their, as they are coming into the party to help build Anambra and support the re-election of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
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