A viral claim circulating on social media alleging that the judge who upheld President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election has gone blind following an eye surgery is false, findings by Uptown Press have revealed.
The misleading report, widely shared across several social media platforms, falsely claimed that a judge identified as “Justice Tsamma Abubakar” lost his sight after complications arising from an eye surgery in London.
However, checks by Uptown Press show that no member of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) or the Supreme Court panel that ruled on the 2023 presidential election petition bears that name.
The five-member Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that dismissed petitions challenging Tinubu’s election was chaired by Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani, while the Supreme Court panel that affirmed the tribunal’s judgment was led by Justice John Iyang Okoro.
Further verification also established that the viral report is entirely fabricated.
The Supreme Court has debunked the claim, while credible fact-checking organisations have equally confirmed that no Nigerian judge involved in the presidential election case went blind following surgery.
Investigations further revealed that the image accompanying the false posts does not depict any Nigerian judicial officer. Instead, the photograph is that of Ghana’s Chief Justice, Gertrude Torkornoo, which was falsely used to lend credibility to the misinformation.
Further details obtained by this online newspaper indicate that the judge at the centre of the false narrative remains on the bench, contrary to the claims being circulated online.
The latest development underscores the growing challenge of misinformation on social media and highlights the need for the public to verify sensational claims through credible news organisations and official sources before sharing them.
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