Why I named my satirical song, “Mr. Yakubu” after INEC chairman – Falz speaks his truth

Falz, a generally known Nigerian rapper, activist, and actor, has explained why he wrote his most recent song, “Mr. Yakubu,” and why INEC chairman was chosen as the song’s title.

Falz said bluntly that the song is a reflection of what happened during the recently held 2023 elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, threw down the laws and regulations intended to govern the election, the rapper said in an appearance on Arise Television’s “The Morning Show.”

Remember how he and rapper Olanrewaju Ogunmefun, also known as Vector, criticized Yakubu in their contentious song “Yakubu” for allegedly tampering with the results of the 2023 presidential election.

The song, which has gained widespread popularity since it was released on March 30, also made reference to reports of violence, voter intimidation, logistical issues, ballot box snatching, and other incidents that marred the 2023 general election. The commission had also failed to fulfill its promise to transmit the election results via its result viewing portal, known as the IReV portal.

The award-winning hip-hop artiste said:

“The song is just an account of events as they transpired in the last couple of months as regards the elections. The song is self explanatory.

“The rules and regulations that were supposed to guide the elections were not applied. The INEC chairman himself prior to the elections had come out to release these regulations.

“By the time these elections were happening, we were seeing that these elections were so not transparent and in short the opposite of what you said it was going to be.

“The lack of transparency was glaring and the unanimous belief was that there was some foul play involved in the electoral process. Everyone had so much faith going into these elections and it was deeply disappointing the way things turned out.”

Speaking further, Falz who is the son of prominent human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), added:

“Nigerians were hopeful that the recent elections won’t be business as usual and that the votes would count, but everything was scattered before our very eyes and nothing was done about that.

“Despite all the numerous cases of violence that we witnessed, upon all the shoddy and manipulated results that we saw, the INEC chairman still went on to declare a winner. The Presidential election was just a big mess.”