On September 21, 2024, an image went viral across social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Prof. Rhoda Gumus, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Edo State election is a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Attached to the claim is the membership card allegedly belonging to the INEC National Commissioner.
Verification:
The CDD War Room found that the former president, Muhammadu Buhari nominated Rhoda Gumus as INEC national commissioner (South-South), and was confirmed by the Senate on February 2, 2022. However, her nomination by the president was followed by criticisms and public outcry because she was alleged to be a card-carrying APC member.
The CDD War Room found a copy of the circulating party membership card and we identified some irregularities in the membership card.
We found that in the two original APC membership cards found online, none of them carried the title of the personalities. However, the one allegedly belonging to the National Commissioner carries her “Professorial” title.
We also found that in the “Sign / Thumb Print” part, the two words are typed together while in the original membership card, they are disjointed. Also, the “S” and “T” are in capital letters in the original while they are in small letters in the card purportedly belonging to Prof. Rhoda.
Similarly, the “Date of Registration” has “o” in small letter while in the card purportedly belonging to the INEC Commissioner, the “O” is in small letter.
We also found that in the two original APC membership cards, the paper background is white while the one allegedly belonging to Prof. Rhoda is blue.
We spoke with a party official in Bayelsa State who debunked the viral membership card. He added that there is no such name on the state party’s membership register.
Verdict: FALSE
The CDD War Room found several discrepancies showing that the APC membership card being circulated online and bearing the name of Prof. Rhoda Gumus is fake.
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