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PM News front page altered to link Peter Obi to ‘madness’ testimony

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
Reading Time: 2 min.
Screenshot of the viral post

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A newspaper page has surfaced on social media with a claim suggesting that Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), testified in church about being cured of “madness.”

An X user, @Bayo_Bilisi, shared the image with the caption:

“2nd tweet of the day. No wonder you shared testimony in church.”

The post was accompanied by a photograph purportedly showing a July 2006 edition of PM News. As of 17 September 2026, the post had generated over 180 reposts and more than 400 likes.

Another X user @diponet1, also shared the purported newspaper page in a post that had attracted more than 150 likes and 77 shares as of 17 September 2026.

CLAIM

Newspaper page shows Peter Obi giving a testimony in church about how he was cured of madness.

Screenshot of the viral post

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the newspaper clipping was altered.

A comparison of the circulating image with the original PM News edition archived by Archivi.ng, a startup that digitises newspaper editions, shows that the photograph and the identity of the person featured in the story were altered.

The original edition of PM News dated 17 July 2006 carries the headline: “HOW I WAS CURED OF MADNESS.”

The newspaper’s original page identifies Femi Fani-Kayode as the person featured in the story. His photograph appears beside the headline, while the sub headline identifies him as a minister in the Obasanjo administration who gave a testimony in church.

Screenshot of the original publication

Fani-Kayode, also known as FFK, is a Nigerian lawyer, politician and public commentator. He has been involved in Nigerian politics for several years and has belonged to different political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). He previously served as aviation minister and as special assistant on public affairs to former president Olusegun Obasanjo.

The circulating version, however, has replaced Fani-Kayode’s photograph and altered the accompanying text to read:

“Peter Obi, Anambra’s Gov Gives Testimony In Church.”

The alteration therefore creates the impression that Obi gave the testimony reported in the 2006 newspaper.

The claim is particularly misleading because Obi was governor of Anambra State at the time. But the original newspaper did not identify him as the person featured in the “How I Was Cured of Madness” story.

VERDICT

The claim that Peter Obi gave a testimony about how he was cured of madness is FALSE. The newspaper clipping circulating with his photograph and name has been altered. The original version identifies Femi Fani-Kayode, not Peter Obi, as the person who gave the testimony.

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Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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