A press statement allegedly from the European Union making the rounds on social media has called for the disqualification of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress as the president-elect for ‘gross electoral misconduct’.
Nigeria’s presidential election was held on February 25, 2023.
The purported press release also recommended that the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, should step down.
Finally, the press release recommended that the election results should be reviewed and the implementation of corrections or a supplementary election should be conducted.
Further to these recommendations, the press release has made it clear that if the law is not upheld and Bola Ahmed Tinubu is sworn in as president on May 29, 2023, the European Union would be moved to believe that:
-Nigerians have no say in their appointed leaders, national policies, and the future of their country
-The law, constitution, and judiciary in Nigeria are merely a formality, and
-The EU and other international observers would agree that Nigeria’s democracy is a failing one.
Verification
The European Union in Nigeria, through its official Twitter page, has, in the early hours of March 3, 2023, debunked this claim when it flagged the alleged press release as fake news.
Verdict
The alleged press release from the European Union calling for the disqualification of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s president-elect is fake. The European Union debunked this claim on its official Twitter page on March 3, 2023.