Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
A news report going viral claims that Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has made the list of Nigerians to be banned from getting United States of America Visa following his infamous role in the just concluded general elections.
Verdict
False. The Visa ban list did not emanate from the United States.
Full Text
A news report going viral claims that Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has made the list of Nigerians to be banned from getting United States of America Visa following his infamous role in the just concluded general elections.
According to the report which quoted another news platform, News Band Newspaper the long list has governor Nysom Wike of Rivers State and his ally, former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, the spokesman of the president-elect, Bayo Onanuga, Femi-Kayode, MC Oluomo, chairman of Lagos State Motor Park management among others.
The report also added that the visa ban will include their wives, children, and relatives.
Verification
FactCheckElections checked the websites of other credible platforms but we could not find any news confirming the claim.
However, we discovered that the list was not compiled by the United States as indicated in the news headline. The Visa ban list was compiled by an unknown source which was then obtained by News Band Newspaper. A Twitter user @tonydaymn10 also confirmed this in a tweet that has so far garnered over 2k retweets, 683 comments (quotes), and over 4k likes.
Our updated US Visa ban list that will be given to White House, US Congress, and State Department on Monday, April 3, 2023, during our protest match in Washington DC.
Please note that the visa ban will include their wives, children, and relatives. pic.twitter.com/xNb3jvO4Mb
— Anthony Daymn💙 (@tonydaymn10) March 29, 2023
A further check on News Band Newspaper’s website revealed that the long list was compiled by Nigeria Diaspora Organisations which is then submitted to the US and UK government and the EU.
Furthermore, we went on to find more about Nigeria Diaspora Organisations in relation to the Visa ban report but all effort was an exercise in futility as the said organisation has no website nor social media accounts. Also, there was no news report about the organisation asking the US to place a Visa ban on Mahmood Yakubu and others.
However, the closest to Nigeria Diaspora Organisations is The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) which has branches in different parts of the world. This gives a strong indication that NIDO was impersonated by ‘Nigeria Diaspora Organisations’ to carry out the act.
Conclusion
FactCheckElections can conclude that the news report is false. The Visa ban list did not emanate from the United States but it was compiled by an unknown group known as Nigeria Diaspora Organisations impersonating The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO).