The Presidency has dismissed as “fake news” claims that President Bola Tinubu conferred national honours on human rights activist Aisha Yesufu and 35 others.
Aisha Yesufu, a prominent critic of the Tinubu administration, gained national recognition for her leading role during the 2020 End SARS protests.
Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, refuted the reports in a statement posted on Facebook on Friday.
“The viral story listing Aisha Yesufu and others as national honour recipients, reportedly published by Leadership newspaper, is fake news and should be disregarded,” Ajayi wrote.
He added that “The Presidency has not released any new list of national honourees beyond the names mentioned in President Tinubu’s address to the joint session of the National Assembly yesterday.”
President Tinubu had announced the names of democracy heroes on Thursday, 13 June, as part of the 2025 Democracy Day celebrations.
A document listing 102 names circulated widely on social media, sparking debate—particularly among Tinubu’s supporters. However, only 66 individuals were officially recognised during the President’s Democracy Day address at the joint National Assembly sitting in Abuja.
Among the posthumous recipients were former Chief of Staff Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; Professor Humphrey Nwosu, former NEC Chairman who conducted the 1993 elections; and Kudirat Abiola, wife of MKO Abiola and martyr of the June 12 struggle.