The Presidency has labeled reports claiming that President Bola Tinubu has conferred national honours upon human rights activist Aisha Yesufu and 35 others as “fake news.”
Yesufu, a prominent critic of the Tinubu administration, is particularly recognized for her significant involvement during the 2020 End SARS national protest.
Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, refuted these claims in a statement released on Friday.
“The story regarding a viral list of national honours that includes Aisha Yesufu and others, attributed to the Leadership newspaper, is false. It should be disregarded,” Ajayi stated in a Facebook post.
He further emphasized that “The Presidency has not released any new names for national honours that differ from those mentioned in President Tinubu’s address to the joint session of the National Assembly yesterday.
The names of the democracy heroes were revealed by President Tinubu on Thursday, June 13, as part of the events commemorating the 2025 Democracy Day celebration.
A document circulating on social media, which listed 102 names, had gained widespread attention, igniting intense discussions, particularly among supporters of the Tinubu government.
Nevertheless, only 66 recipients were officially announced during Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech at the joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja.
Among the posthumous honorees were former Chief of Staff Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; former NEC Chairman Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, who oversaw the 1993 elections; and Kudirat Abiola, the wife of MKO Abiola and a martyr of the June 12 struggle.
