In recent online discussions, there have been assertions suggesting that Yahaya Bello, the former governor of Kogi state, made a statement regarding the 2023 presidential election. According to these claims, Bello purportedly admitted to aiding in rigging the election in favor of President Bola Tinubu, a significant political figure in Nigeria.

Yahaya Bello Said Peter Obi Won 2023 Election But He Helped Rig it For Tinubu?

However, a fact-checking initiative has delved into these allegations and unveiled its discoveries in a recent report.

Yahaya Bello’s Alleged Statement of Rigging elections for Tinubu

A post circulating on Facebook alleges that Yahaya Bello confessed to assisting President Bola Tinubu in rigging the 2023 election. This claim emerged following Tinubu’s victory declaration in the said election.

On March 1, 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, officially announced Tinubu as the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election. Tinubu, representing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, secured a total of 8,794,726 votes. This victory surpassed his main rivals: Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who amassed 6,101,533 votes.

The Alleged Facebook Post

The Facebook post in question purportedly contains a statement attributed to Yahaya Bello regarding Tinubu and the election outcome. It reads: “Tinubu is a thief, I helped him rig the 2023 election, Peter Obi won him with great margin – EFCC has no right to arrest me because the President of Nigeria is not illegal – Yahaya Bello purportedly opens up.”

This claim has sparked considerable interest and debate, prompting scrutiny into its validity and implications.

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