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LIVE-CHECK: Claims about results of Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential, NASS elections circulate online

FactCheckHub
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LIVE-CHECK: Claims about results of Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential, NASS elections circulate online

Since Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections were conducted on Saturday, February 25, 2023, there have been many claims circulating online and on some traditional media as results are being collated from various polling units across the country.

Our team of researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, misinformation & disinformation experts drawn from the coalition partners, are working from the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition’s (NFC) Election Situation Rooms located in Abuja, Lagos and UK, to debunk election-related misinformation and disinformation contents targeted at spreading fake election results, inciting violence or influencing the outcome of election in general.

READ:  Results from Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential, National Assembly elections trickle in (LIVE-CHECK)

Do you have an election-related claim you want us to fact-check?

Reach the NFC via WhatsApp here.

You may also read our prime Election Day LIVE-CHECKS here

This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward to read them.

Here are the live-checks:

Claim 1

CLAIM: Peoples Gazette headline reads that soldiers shoot ‘Oluomo’ dead at collation centre.

THE FINDINGS: From the comment section, the NFC observed that some social media users were curious about which Oluomo was actually killed. Although the report states that PDP supporter Akinlabi Akinnaso, also known as Oluomo, was shot dead, reactions from commenters indicate confusion, prompting our check. The deceased is not the popular Lagos State NURTW chairman, MC Oluomo.

VERDICT: MISLEADING.

SOURCES: Vanguard Newspaper, Punch Newspaper

 

Claim 2

CLAIM: A Twitter user @drpenking tweeted an image that showed the Labour Party got 29,568 votes in Agege and claimed INEC switched the results to APC and reduced the numbers for Labour Party to 13,270.

THE FINDINGS: Updates from various news outlets shows that APC won the Labour Party by a landslide in Agege local government area. We collated the results for each party and found that APC actually had 29,568 votes while Labour Party had a lesser total number of votes.

VERDICT:  INCORRECT

SOURCES: Multiple media reports

 

Claim 3

CLAIM: The headline of a news report on ejesgist.ng claims that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu, to win all 20 local government areas in Osun State.

THE FINDINGS: Osun State has 30 local government areas. INEC result viewing portal shows that polling unit results of the 2023 presidential election have been uploaded from all 30 local government areas. The results declared at the national collation centre show that Atiku won 20 local governments while Tinubu won the remaining 10 LGAs.

VERDICT: MISLEADING

SOURCES: INEC IRev portal, Multiple media reports

 

Claim 4

CLAIM: Bashir Ahmad, Special Assistant on Digital Communications to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, on his Twitter handle, claims that APC has won the elections in 14 states, PDP in 7, LP in 4 and NNPP in 1.

THE FINDINGS:  Reports by credible media platforms such as Channels TV and Premium Times reveal that INEC has declared the results of only one state, Ekiti, out of the 36 States in Nigeria as of 9am on Monday.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Channels TV, Premium Times

 

Claim 5

CLAIM: Social media users say the image uploaded on INEC’s IReV for Ekiti polling unit, not the result sheet.

THE FINDINGS: NFC’s visit to the INEC IReV portal confirms the report to be true. The image uploaded on the portal, as of 10am on Monday, February 27, differed from the INEC result sheet for the polling unit with code 13/01/02/001 under Ado ‘B’ Inisa Ward/RA in Ado Ekiti local government area. It rather contained the image of a young lady in a room.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCE: INEC IReV Portal

 

Claim 6

CLAIM: A Twitter user, @NajibHaruna_, claimed that Ibrahim Bello Muhammad, 27, the newly elected House of Reps member in Kebbi State is the youngest federal lawmaker in Nigeria’s history.

THE FINDINGS: Findings show that Gabriel Saleh Zock of the APC, a first-term member representing Kachial/Kagarko Federal Constituency of Kaduna State is currently the youngest lawmaker in the House of Representatives. Gabriel was born on November 20, 1985. He became a lawmaker at the age of 34. If Bello is sworn in, he would break the record.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCES: Multiple media reports

 

Claim 7

CLAIM: A post shared on Facebook claimed that thugs have set fire to shops owned by Igbo traders in Ladipo market in Lagos. The post has also been circulated on WhatsApp.

THE FINDINGS:  Checks showed that the video was from a 2022 fire incident in the market. Nosa Okunbor, the public relations officer of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), also said he has not received a report of any fire incident in the market as of Monday, February 27, 2023.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: LASEMA, Google reverse image search

 

Claim 8

CLAIM: Social media users claimed that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, has polled over 1 million votes in Plateau State.

THE FINDINGS: The result is yet to be announced officially by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as of 2.30 p.m. on Monday, February 27, when this report was filed. However, TheCable’s report on votes polled in Plateau State showed that Mr Obi had so far won eight LGAs while PDP won 2 LGAs out of the 17 LGAs in the state. In total, the LP presidential candidate polled 301,905 votes in Plateau state.

VERDICT: MISLEADING.

SOURCE: TheCable Newspaper

 

Claim 9

CLAIM: A one-minute and 38 seconds TikTok video circulating on WhatsApp claims that “Ekiti election 2023 is fake results.”

THE FINDINGS: The original video, which is 22 minutes long, was posted on YouTube nearly eight years ago, precisely on March 31, 2015.  It shows the moment a former minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, who was an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disrupted the national collation and announcement of the 2015 presidential election results on the same day the video was posted online.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: YouTube, Premium Times, Punch newspaper

 

Claim 10

CLAIM: A Twitter user, Senior man (@her_genie) made a post with a pictorial chart of Premium Times’ election result dashboard revealing several numbers of votes scored by the top four candidates in the presidential election on Monday, February 27, 2023.

THE FINDINGS: The Premium Times official dashboard shows that the votes for the Labour Party, PDP, APC and NNPP had been doctored in the graphic shared by the Twitter user. Also, the chart in the post had also been rearranged by political parties with PDP first, followed by APC, LP and then NNDP instead of LP, PDP, APC and then NNDP.

Another detail that was excluded in the doctored chart is the total votes by states and the total votes by percentage (%), which is seen in the Premium Times dashboard. The graphic also missed the mark on the votes of senatorial district measured, which was 5,000, instead of 500,000 on the newspaper’s dashboard.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Premium Times

 

Claim 11

CLAIM: A viral WhatsApp claim has circulated challenging the authenticity of Labour Party’s (LP) votes (11,397) in Ekiti state.

THE FINDINGS: According to the ICIR‘s report on the presidential election results in Ekiti state, the total vote cast was 314,472 and the valid vote cast was 308,171. In the report, APC had 201,494 votes; PDP had 89,554 while LP had 11,397.

Thus, if you subtract 302,445 from 308,171, you will get 5,726. Therefore, the total number of votes from the remaining  parties was 5,726. The total number of accredited votes according to the claimant is inaccurate.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: ICIR

 

Claim 12

CLAIM: An Instagram post by Tunde Ednut (@mufasatundeednut) asserts that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, won Owerri West Local Government Area (LGA) in Imo state and Ndola West LGA in Delta state.

THE FINDINGS: So far, no comprehensive report is available for both LGAs. In Imo state, INEC started collation of the presidential election results from the 27 local government areas of the state and later suspended collation in Nkwerre/Nwangele/ Njaba/ Isu Federal Constituency of Imo State.

A report by ThisDay also noted that INEC rejected election results presented at the commission’s state office in Asaba for Ika North-east Local Government due to discrepancy in the figures presented.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Punch and ThisDay newspapers

Claim 13

CLAIM:  An invitation card with a claim that Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor is holding a dinner and one-on-one conversation with the Igbo captain of industry is doing rounds on WhatsApp.

THE FINDINGS: As Bola Tinubu lost Lagos state, his historical stronghold, to the Labour Party (LP) following Saturday’s presidential election, there are speculations that the Lagos state governor is trying to get the Igbos in the state to vote for him in the forthcoming March 11 governorship election. Jubril Gawat, Sanwo-Olu’s senior special assistant on new media, debunked the claim in a tweet with a version of the invitation card stamped with “Fake News” on Monday, February 27, 2023. 

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Jubril Gawat, senior special assistant to the Lagos state governor on new media.

 

Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition

*This live-check was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Faith Abeka, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab); Daniel Adaji (The Insight); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Lois Ugbede, Cole Praise, Silas Jonathan, Temilade Onilede, Lateef Sanni (Dubawa); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Seyi Awojuyigbe, Fatimah Abubakar, Abisola Olasupo (Africa Check); Rejoice Ewodage, Hannah Ajakaiye (FactsMatterNG), Shehu Olayinka and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).

It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Caroline Anipah, Simbiat Bakare (Dubawa), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat, and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub).

LIVE-CHECK: Results from Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential, National Assembly elections trickle in

Nurudeen Akewushola
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LIVE-CHECK: Results from Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential, National Assembly elections trickle in

RESULTS from various polling units across the country have started trickling in from several collation centres following the conduct of Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

Our team of researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, misinformation & disinformation experts drawn from the coalition partners, are working from the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition’s (NFC) Election Situation Rooms located in Abuja, Lagos and UK, to debunk election-related misinformation and disinformation contents targeted at spreading fake election results, inciting violence or influencing the outcome of election in general.

It will be recalled that 18 candidates are seeking to succeed Nigeria’s current president, Muhammadu Buhari, through the ballot while 4,223 candidates are contesting for 469 federal legislative positions as announced by the INEC for the Senatorial and House of Representatives elections.

READ: Election Day Live Fact-Check HERE

Do you have an election-related claim you want us to fact-check?

Reach the NFC via WhatsApp HERE.

This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward to read them.

Here are the live-checks:

Claim 1

CLAIM: An APC supporter with the Twitter username @DOlusegun claimed TheCable’s report on LP performance at Gbajabiamila’s polling unit is false.

THE FINDINGS: Our findings showed that the result uploaded by TheCable Newspaper is for the presidential election in which the Labour Party polled 89 as against the APC’s 69. A journalist affiliated with the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) confirmed this to the NFC.

The social media user mistook it for the result of the Senatorial election, where the APC topped the chart.

VERDICT: MISLEADING.

SOURCE: Media Observer, News report.

 

Claim 2

CLAIM: An APC supporter with the Twitter username @Tinubufrontier claimed Bola Tinubu had won about seven local government areas in Yobe State.

THE FINDINGS: Anna Charles, a media observer affiliated with the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), told the NFC that the results bandied around on social media were false as official results had yet to be compiled at the collation centre.

VERDICT: INCORRECT.

SOURCE: CJID Observer

 

Claim 3

CLAIM:  A Twitter user, Comrade Moh (@I_Am_marwa), claims Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, Labour Party’s VP candidate, was voted only by his wife and children at his polling unit.

THE FINDINGS: The Labour Party’s VP polling unit is 021 at Tudun Wada ward in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Based on reports by the Punch Newspaper and TheCable, there were 272 accredited voters at the polling unit.

PDP won the polling unit with 102 votes, followed by the APC with 98 votes, while LP came third with 54 votes, and the NNPP secured 11 votes.

VERDICT: INCORRECT.

SOURCE: Punch and TheCable Newspapers

 

Claim 4

CLAIM: A claim circulates on WhatsApp with results that APC and PDP are leading in  Kwara, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun and Oyo states with 6,111,796 and 4,367,845, respectively.

THE FINDINGS: Results in the aforementioned states are still being collated, and the final results are yet to be announced as of 11.25a.m. of Sunday, February 26, 2023. Also, updates from multiple news platforms did not support this claim.

VERDICT:  MISLEADING.

SOURCE: Multiple news sources

 

Claim 5

CLAIM: A viral claim circulated by social media users on WhatsApp and Twitter claims that INEC has extended elections in 16 states.

THE FINDINGS: Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman clarified that the news is not from the commission.

Additionally, INEC’s national chairman on voter’s education, Festus Okoye, debunked the news as fake. He stated that “INEC did not extend the voting period in 16 States. The narrative is fake and the public should disregard it entirely.”

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: INEC

 

Claim 6

CLAIM: A Twitter parody account with the name Niyi Akinsiju and the username @Agbaakinlmodoye claimed APC has won four local government areas in Lagos state.

THE FINDINGS: A check on the INEC IReV portal by the NFC shows that the results posted by Akinsiju were misleading as the electoral body is yet to collate results for all the Wards/RA in the mentioned local government areas: Alimosho; Ikeja; Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Amuwo Odofin.

VERDICT: MISLEADING.

SOURCE: INEC IReV portal, Media Observer.

 

Claim 7

CLAIM:  A viral report claimed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the residence of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), during the elections.

THE FINDINGS: When contacted, Wilson Uwajuren, the spokesperson of the EFCC, told the NFC that the agency only deployed officials to the polling stations to monitor the elections and did not visit the house of any candidate. Also, Labour Party spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, debunked the claim. We also found that the photo was that of EFCC officials’ visit to Ward C, PU 085 Alausa, Ikeja, on Saturday.

VERDICT: INCORRECT.

SOURCE: EFCC’s spokesperson, LP PCC spokesperson, Media report.

 

Claim 8

CLAIM:  There have been viral claims that Prof Pat Utomi, a Labour Party Chieftain, was held hostage by thugs at a collation centre in Victoria Island, Lagos state.

THE FINDINGS:  Labour party spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, has debunked the claim. Similarly, PPRO Police State Command, Benjamin Hundeyin,  told the NFC that he is unaware of the situation. Prof. Pat Utomi also confirmed that “he is fine” and described the claim as false.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Prof. Pat Utomi, Yunusa Tanko, Benjamin Hundeyin

 

Claim 9

CLAIM: A Twitter account, PDP New Media (PDP_NEWMEDIA) claimed that the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abuubakar, has secured 25% in about 25 states.

THE FINDINGS: There has not been an official announcement of results by INEC at the national collation centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. At state level, only results from Ekiti State have been announced so far as of 2.15p.m. when this fact check was filed.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Media reports

 

Claim 10

CLAIM: Reno Omokri posted a graphic on his Instagram page claiming the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is leading with 25% in 25 states.

THE FINDINGS: INEC is yet to post conclusive results on the presidential elections. INEC’s National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, told Channels TV at 3:45 pm on Sunday, February 26, 2023 that the electoral body will announce the full presidential election results at the national collation centre in Abuja.

VERDICT: MISLEADING

SOURCES: INEC, Channels TV

 

Claim 11

CLAIM: An online post claims that the Labour Party (LP) has called for the cancellation of the ongoing presidential election as INEC cannot upload results from the polling units into its server.

THE FINDINGS: LP, in a press release on its website, condemned the delay, but the party did not seek cancellation of the results.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Labour Party’s website.

 

Claim 12

CLAIM: A Twitter user, Quinn (@Quinn_Tweets), shared an image showing the Labour Party is leading the polls by 36%, followed by the PDP by 27% and the APC by 24%.

THE FINDINGS: A reverse image search shows it is a screenshot of an opinion poll conducted on January 27, 2023, by Nextier. The viral image was shared after cropping parts showing it is a pre-election poll.  The poll was shared by Nextier on Twitter on February 5, 2023. Figures from INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) show otherwise.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Nextier

 

Claim 13

CLAIM: A Twitter user, Chigoziel Alex (@ChigozielAlex), claimed that the election did not hold in Awo-Omamma, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State, yet election results have been uploaded.

THE FINDINGS: The CODE Observer in Imo State, Chigoziri Osuji, confirmed to NFC that the claim is true as no election was conducted at the location; however, results were uploaded. CJID Observer, Igwe Ugochukwu, in Imo State also confirmed that the election didn’t occur due to a sit-at-home order.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCES: CODE and CJID Observers

 

Claim 14

CLAIM: A WhatsApp message that has gone viral and published by Igbo Times Magazine on Facebook claims that former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, stormed INEC’s collation centre in Abuja with election results from the 36 states in Nigeria.

THE FINDINGS: A Premium Times reporter at the collation centre, Qosim Suleiman, noted that the former president was not there.  He also shared picture evidence of what the collation centre looks like as of 7p.m on Sunday night, revealing those present.

A reverse image search also showed one of the images shared via Twitter was from a meeting between Atiku and Obasanjo reported by Channels Television in 2019. The collation of results is still ongoing.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Premium Times reporter and Google reverse image search

 

Claim 15

CLAIM: Viral video shared by Blessing Okagbare (@mountain214), a Nigerian professional Athlete, claimed that INEC erased election results as of 7am on Sunday, Feb. 26 from their portal.

THE FINDINGS: NFC visited INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and found election results are still available on the portal. The current figure shows 45,886 results have been submitted for 176,846 polling units.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: INEC IReV

 

Claim 16

CLAIM: A Twitter user DrUmaru_AJ (@Princeujay), alleged Ekiti election results were uploaded as far back as February 20.

THE FINDINGS: Election result details seen on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) show the result for Ekiti was uploaded on Sunday, February 26, 2023.

We also observed that the image shared with this tweet does not look like INEC’s IReV portal.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: INEC IReV

 

Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition

*This live-check was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Faith Abeka, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab); Daniel Adaji (The Insight); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Lois Ugbede, Cole Praise, Silas Jonathan, Temilade Onilede, Lateef Sanni (Dubawa); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Seyi Awojuyigbe, Fatimah Abubakar, Abisola Olasupo (Africa Check); Rejoice Ewodage, Hannah Ajakaiye (FactsMatterNG), Shehu Olayinka and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).

It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Caroline Anipah, Simbiat Bakare (Dubawa), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat, and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub).

LIVE-CHECK: Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections

FactCheckHub
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LIVE-CHECK: Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections

As Nigerians head to the poll on Saturday, February 25, 2023, for Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC) brings you live-check of election-related misinformation and disinformation spreading online and on television on Election Day.

Do you have any election-related claim you want us to fact-check?

Reach the NFC via HERE.

This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward to read the latest checks.

Eighteen candidates are seeking to succeed the nation’s current president, Muhammadu Buhari, through the ballot. Those cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) include Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP); Osita Nnadi of the Action Peoples Party (APP); Abiola Kolawole of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP); Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP); Yabagi Sani of the Action Democratic Party (ADP); and Ado-Ibrahim Abdulmalik of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).

Others are: Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC); Ojei Chichi of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM); Peter Umeadi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Oluwafemi Adenuga of the Boot Party (BP); Daniel Nwanyanwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP); Dumebi Kachikwu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC); Hamza Al-Mustapha of the Action Alliance (AA); Adebayo Adewole of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Okwudili Anyajike of the National Rescue Movement (NRM); and Christopher Imumolen of the Accord Party (AP).

Similarly, 4,223 candidates contesting for 469 federal legislative positions were earlier cleared by the INEC for the Senatorial and House of Representatives elections holding today.

Our team of researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, misinformation & disinformation experts drawn from the coalition partners, are working from the coalition’s Election Situation Rooms located in Abuja, Lagos and UK, to debunk misinformation and disinformation contents targeted at inciting violence and voter’s apathy on Election Day or influencing the outcome of election.

Here are the live-checks:

Claim 1

CLAIM: The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has withdrawn from the race and has asked his supporters to vote for Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

THE FINDINGS: The chief spokesperson of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Yunusa Tanko, has debunked the viral claim in a press conference. He said Obi is still in the race. Also, a search on the official Twitter handle of the LP presidential candidate showed he is still contesting as he urged his supporters to cast their votes in his favour.

VERDICT: INCORRECT.

SOURCE: Dr. Yunusa Tanko

Claim 2

CLAIM: Some social media users claim the Boko Haram terrorist group has taken over INEC offices in Kaduna and Kano states.

THE FINDINGS: The images attached to the posts are old and are from unrelated incidents in the past. One of them is as old as 2016. The spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mohammed Jalige, debunked the report noting that the INEC office has not been, and was not under any form of attack. Also, the Kano state police spokesperson, Haruna Abdulahi said it is a fake report.

VERDICT: INCORRECT.

SOURCES: Kano State Police Command, Kaduna State Police Command.

 

Claim 3

CLAIM: Twitter users claim the Accord party has merged with Labour Party (LP).

THE FINDINGS: The National Chairman of the Accord Party, Reverend Issac Adeniyi, confirmed to the Nigerian Fact-checkers Coalition (NFC) that the party has merged with Labour Party and has declared its support for the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCE: Accord Party’s national chairman.

 

Claim 4

CLAIM: A viral SMS claims voters can locate their polling units by sending their PVC 9-digit codes to 8014.

THE FINDINGS: Our findings show this to be false. The Commissioner for Information and Voter Education at INEC, Festus Okoye, has also clarified that the alleged code is not from the Commission. He advised voters to stick to the official contact information released by the INEC. 

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

 

Claim 5

CLAIM: A viral audio clip purports the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa, and  Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, are plotting to rig the general election.

THE FINDINGS: An analysis of the audio note shows that the voices of the trio were cut from previously recorded speeches and joined to create the recording of the conversation. The audio has been doctored, hence it is fake.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: OSINT

 

Claim 6

CLAIM: A graphic circulating on election morning claims the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has withdrawn from the presidential race and declared his support for Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi.

THE FINDING: The claim is not supported by any evidence. Such a major development would have been widely reported by local and international media, but credible media has reported such. Abubakar voted in his home state, Adamawa, north-east Nigeria at about 9am and told journalists he is confident of winning the election. In a phone call, Paul Ibe, Atiku’s media aide, also debunked the claim.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Multiple news sources, Atiku’s media aide.

 

Claim 7

CLAIM: A Twitter user, (@Naija_PR) claims the Labour Party (LP) logo is missing on the ballot papers sent to Ondo State.

THE FINDINGS: The pictures of the alleged ballot papers the claimant shared were from 2015. However, a report published by Punch Newspaper confirmed the omission of the LP logo on ballot papers sent to Ondo State to be true but only affected that of the Senate and House of Representatives.

VERDICT: MOSTLY CORRECT

SOURCE: Punch Newspaper

 

Claim 8

CLAIM: A blog site, litepawa.org published a report on how Ganduje’s supporters attacked the supporters of Kwankwaso in Kano State.

THE FINDINGS: Aside from the fact that the blog site lacks all the qualities of a reliable news organization, like an about us page or contact us, the link to the alleged video that depicts the bloody clash was merely a link to an advert.  Additionally, there is no report elsewhere that hints on the acclaimed bloody clash in Kano.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: OSINT

 

Claim 9

CLAIM: Katsina State Police Command arrested party agents for attempting to hack into INEC server

THE FINDINGS: The spokesperson of Katsina Police Command, Gambo Isah, when contacted, confirmed the arrest of some party agents. He, however, stated that after an in-depth investigation, it was discovered that the intention of the  political party involved was to set up a situation room, using an application software and not to hack INEC servers. He also confirmed the same in a press release.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: Katsina State Police Command.

 

Claim 10

CLAIM: Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, said over six million new permanent voter cards were collected in the state.

THE FINDINGS:  Voter card collection data published by the Independent National Electoral Commission shows this is incorrect. INEC’s data released on February 23, 2023, shows the total number of previously and newly collected voter cards in Lagos is 6.2 million. If Mr Rhodes-Vivour had referred to both old and new, he would have been correct.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: INEC

 

Claim 11

CLAIM:  A video showing electoral violence in Nigeria’s 2023 elections has gone viral on social media.

THE FINDINGS: The video was shot in Ghana during a military drill ahead of the country’s 2020 general election. The latest version of the video the NFC found on social media was dated  December 2020. It was also found here. A Ghana-based news outlet, Thedistin, also published the video in November 2020.

VERDICT: INCORRECT.

SOURCE: The Distin, Instagram, Twitter.

 

Claim 12

CLAIM: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) storms Tinubu’s polling unit in Alausa, Lagos.

THE FINDINGS: Some media reports confirmed that the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were at PU 085, Ward 3, Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos where the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, voted. The ICIR reporter who was present at the polling unit also confirmed the EFCC’s visit. But the voting process was not disrupted by their visit.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCES:  Punch , Vanguard newspapers and others.

 

Claim 13

CLAIM: A Twitter user, Baron Chymaker (@chymaker) urged supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to vote overwhelmingly in Abuja. The claimant stated that the presidential candidates of APC’s Bola Tinubu and PDP’s Atiku Abubakar wouldn’t be declared president if they failed to get 25% in the FCT.

THE FINDINGS: Section 133 of the Nigerian Constitution stipulates that a presidential candidate shall be deemed to have been duly elected if he has a majority of votes cast and “has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

The law doesn’t state winning 25% of votes in Abuja is a condition for winning the presidential election. Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, said in an interview on Channels TV, “You don’t have to win the FCT; if you meet the requirement; that is two-thirds of the majority of states in the country.” He said courts have ruled that the FCT should be treated as a state.

VERDICT: MISLEADING

SOURCE: The Nigerian Constitution

 

Claim 14

CLAIM: A Twitter user, @Harmless12345 claimed that Buhari’s vote is void.

THE FINDINGS: His post has recorded nearly 80, 000 views on Twitter. Several media reports, however, show that President Muhammadu Buhari displayed his ballot paper publicly after casting his vote for APC in his hometown, Daura, Katsina State. A critical look at the displayed Buhari’s thumbprint shows that it is properly placed and doesn’t exceed beyond the box.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Premium Times, TheCable, Voice of Nigeria and others.

 

Claim 15

CLAIM: Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafran  agitator, claims voters are not out in Igweocha part of Rivers State to vote due to the IPOB’s sit-at-home order.

THE FINDINGS:  An election observer affiliated with the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) present at the Igweocha area debunked the news and confirmed that voting is currently ongoing in the area. NFC obtained visual evidence showing that election was ongoing.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCE: CJID Observer

 

Claim 16

CLAIM: A video that is circulating on social media showed the moment President Muhammadu Buhari voted for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

THE FINDINGS: President Muhammadu Buhari voted earlier today at Daura, Katsina state and had showed off his ballot papers. Screenshots from the video obtained by the NFC showed that the president actually voted for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress. The clearer versions of the pictures were also found here and here.

Also, in a tweet by the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Mr Buhari said he voted for Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC.

VERDICT: INCORRECT

SOURCES: Punch, The Cable, Premium Times

 

Claim 17

CLAIM: Former senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye, in a Facebook post, claimed that thugs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been arrested in Kogi Central Senatorial district by soldiers.

THE FINDINGS: A Connected Development (CODE) observer on the field, Umar Mohammed, confirmed the incident occurred in Kogi Central around 11 am. He also noted that one of the men arrested is an appointee of the APC government in Kogi State.

A reverse image search did not suggest the image is recent or existed earlier than February 25, 2023.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCE: CODE Observer

 

Claim 18

CLAIM: A Twitter user claims that voting is yet to commence in some parts of Bayelsa at about 4 pm.

FINDING: NFC contacted an observer from Connected Development (CODE), Tare Amananaghan, who confirmed the report and added that the HOD of INEC’s Voter Education Publicity (VEP), Wilfred Ifogah, had informed earlier that the situation was due  to a shortage of ballot paper. As of 5 p.m, Ms Amananaghan confirmed voting had commenced in many polling units affected.

 VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCE: CODE Observer

 

Claim 19

CLAIM: An online report  has announced the death of the party chairman of Labour Party, representing Karshi District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Valentine Onuigbo. The chairman reportedly  died in his sleep in the wee hours of Saturday, February 25, 2023.

THE FINDINGS:  Spokesperson of the Labour Party, Mr. Yunusa Tanko, has confirmed  the incident. Newspapers such as Tribune, Vanguard and Prime Business Africa  among others, have also confirmed the death.

VERDICT: CORRECT

SOURCES: Tribune, Vanguard, Prime Business Africa and Labour Party Spokesperson.

READ NIGERIA’S 2023 GENERAL ELECTION LIVE-CHECKS BELOW:

 

Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition

*This live-check was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Faith Abeka, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab); Daniel Adaji (The Insight); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Lois Ugbede, Cole Praise, Silas Jonathan, Temilade Onilede, Lateef Sanni (Dubawa); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Seyi Awojuyigbe, Fatimah Abubakar, Abisola Olasupo (Africa Check); Rejoice Ewodage, Hannah Ajakaiye (FactsMatterNG), Shehu Olayinka and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).

It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Caroline Anipah, Simbiat Bakare (Dubawa), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat, and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub).

ICIR, FactCheckHub unveil trivia game to curb political misinformation

Faith Abeka
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ICIR, FactCheckHub unveil trivia game to curb political misinformation

The International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) in collaboration with the FactCheckHub has launched an online trivia game to checkmate the spread of misinformation as Nigeria holds its 2023 general election.

A press release signed by the Editor, ICIR, Victoria Bamas, disclosed that the game portal was launched on Monday, February 20, to enable Nigerians checkmate election misinformation and disinformation in an exciting but educative manner.

The ICIR is an independent, non-profit news agency with a mission to promote good governance, transparency and accountability through balanced and objective investigative reporting.

The Editor, FactCheckHub, Opeyemi Kehinde, said the online trivia game will help the public to identify and avoid sharing false information.

“As the election approaches, one of the issues of great concern in the civic space is the proliferation of false information.

“During the election season, there has always been an increase in misinformation from politicians and their supporters aimed at discrediting opposition candidates or parties or dissuading voters.

“The trivia game launched for the public this week will help the Nigerian public to be able to identify election misinformation spreading on various social networks, thus helping them to avoid sharing such false information and providing them with accurate information on their voting rights for election day,” Kehinde stated.

According to data retrieved from the game platform, players agree that the ‘answer’ statements were reliable.

Since the distribution of the game commenced on Monday, it has reached 951 players with 489 players completing the game in full.

Nigerians are encouraged to click here to play the game.

2023 Elections: Nigerian fact-checkers unveil situation rooms in Lagos, Abuja

Nurudeen Akewushola
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2023 Elections: Nigerian fact-checkers unveil situation rooms in Lagos, Abuja

THE Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC) has unveiled its situation rooms to combat misinformation ahead of the 2023 general elections starting on Saturday, February 25. 

The NFC election situation rooms located in Abuja, Lagos and the United Kingdom, will monitor the spread of election misinformation and disinformation targeted at inciting violence, promoting voter apathy, undermining trust in the electoral process and influencing the outcome of election.

The Abuja NFC situation room, which is linked virtually to others, is domiciled at The ICIR office in Abuja which also doubles as the coalition’s secretariat.

Opeyemi Kehinde, Editor at the FactCheckHub and NFC’s Coordinator, said the situation room is poised to monitor ‘fake news’ (misinformation and disinformation) purveyors, noting that Thursday’s dry run, held in Abuja, was to ensure effective work flow.

“One of the things that we have put in place is to collapse our staff from most partner organisations into the coalition’s situation rooms where every person representing various partners will monitor and debunk ‘fake news’ that’s spreading on election day until the final results are announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“The role of the coalition in ensuring the election integrity is very significant because we understand the dangers that lurk around when misinformation is allowed to have its way in the electoral process,” Kehinde said.

Caroline Anipah, Deputy Director at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) commended the NFC for its work.

“The NFC has been doing a tremendous work holding political candidates and their followers accountable since it was set up. It has been heavily involved in live presidential debate fact-checking, among others.

“From the public reception of our work, we know we are doing things right, making a difference, and contributing to a cleaner information space – one devoid of the volume of misinformation that would have circulated without our work,” Anipah said.

The coalition, which was officially launched in June 2022, has observed various trends of misinformation and disinformation over the months running into the election.

“Some of the trends we have observed include the use of impersonation and digital mercenaries to insert certain narratives into mainstream conversation by manipulating Twitter’s Trending Topics,” Rosemary Ajayi, founder and lead researcher of Digital Africa Research Lab says.

“We have also documented the use of live video on Facebook and YouTube to stoke ethnic tensions and call for violence against certain ethnic groups on Election Day.

“We’ve also seen the politicisation of fact-checks published by the NFC. But a very interesting trend is the politicisation of Twitter Blue where savvy political actors subscribe to Twitter’s blue tick scheme to exploit the increased visibility it affords. It’s a worthwhile investment as subscribers’ Tweets are given prominence. I am keen to see how many will continue to subscribe after the elections,” Ajayi added.

Also commenting on the coalition’s preparedness for the election, Kemi Busari, DUBAWA Nigeria Editor, said: “The NFC is set to do a live fact-checking of election-related misinformation. We enjoin the public to send us claims and ensure they confirm any information before passing it on.”

Busari urged members of the public to always verify information before sharing on social media platforms. He encouraged the public to send any suspicious post, images or video that they want verified on Election Day to the coalition’s WhatsApp number: +2349030785265.

“We will provide voters and the general public with accurate information – verified and fact-checked, to help them make all the important decisions they must make during the elections,” Anipah said.

NFC comprises of leading Nigerian newsrooms, fact-checking organisations and civil society actors such as FactCheckHub, International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Premium Times, TheCable, Africa Check, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Daily Trust, Digital Africa Research Lab, Dubawa, FactsMatterNG, and The Insight.

The NFC consists of researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, misinformation and disinformation experts drawn from the coalition partners.

 

Fact-checking Buhari’s national broadcast on currency swap, cash crunch

Fatimah Quadri and Faith Abeka
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Fact-checking Buhari’s national broadcast on currency swap, cash crunch

NIGERIA’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, February 16, 2023, addressed the nation on the redesigned naira notes amidst its scarcity and the government’s currency swap policy.

He said the naira redesign activities are within the ambit of the nation’s constitution.

“All these activities are being carried out within the ambit of the constitution, the relevant law under the CBN Act 2007, and in line with global best practice,” he stated.

READ : Fact-checking claims in Buhari’s presidential farewell speech to Nigerians

While addressing the general public, Buhari made some claims which our team of fact-checkers at The FactCheckHub reviewed.

Here are some of our findings:

CLAIM 1

The naira redesign activities are being carried out within the ambit of the constitution, relevant laws.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show the claim is TRUE.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ACT 2007 was passed into law by Nigeria’s National Assembly on 25 May 2007.

Section 20(3) of the Act states that: “Notwithstanding Sub-sections (1) and (2) of this section, the Bank shall have power, if directed to do so by the President and after giving reasonable notice in that behalf, to call in any of its notes or coins on payment of the face value thereof and any note or coin in respect to which a notice has been given under this Sub-section, shall, on the expiration of the notice, cease to be legal tender, but subject to section 22 of this Act, shall be redeemed by the Bank upon demand.

THE VERDICT

The claim by Buhari that the activities of the naira redesign policy are being carried out within the ambit of the law is TRUE.

SOURCE: Central Bank of Nigeria

CLAIM 2

I have been reliably informed that since the commencement of this program, about N2.1 trillion out of the banknotes previously held outside the banking system, had been successfully retrieved.

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.

The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, said, as of October 2022, currency in circulation was ₦3.23 trillion out of which only ₦500 billion was within the banking industry and ₦2.7 trillion was held in people’s homes. According to him, since the commencement of the naira redesign policy, ₦1.9 trillion have been collected which records for 75 percent of the ₦2.7 trillion held outside.

THE VERDICT

The claim that ₦2.1 trillion held outside the banking system have been successfully retrieved is MOSTLY FALSE; a press statement by CBN on January 29, 2023, quoted the CBN Governor as saying only ₦1.9 trillion have been collected.

SOURCE: Central Bank of Nigeria

CLAIM 3

In 2015, when this administration commenced its first term, Currency-in-Circulation was only N1.4trillion.

READ ALSO : Buhari’s scorecard: Analysing Lai Mohammed’s multiple claims as Nigeria’s Information minister

THE FINDINGS

According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, as of May 31, 2015, the volume of naira notes in circulation in Nigeria was ₦1.66 trillion.

Buhari was sworn in for his first term as Nigeria’s democratically-elected President on May 29, 2015.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the naira currency in circulation in May 2015 was N1.4 trillion is FALSE; the actual figure was a bit higher.

SOURCE: Central Bank of Nigeria

CLAIM 4

As of October 2022, therefore, currency in circulation had risen to N3.23 trillion.

THE FINDINGS

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria show that as of October 31, 2022, the currency in circulation in Nigeria was ₦3.29 trillion. As of September 29, 2022, it was ₦3.24 trillion.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the currency in circulation as of October 2022 is ₦3.23 trillion is MOSTLY TRUE.

SOURCE: Central Bank of Nigeria

How job cuts by major social media companies is affecting global fight against misinformation, disinformation

Fatimah Quadri
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0
How job cuts by major social media companies is affecting global fight against misinformation, disinformation

JOB cuts by major social media companies is affecting many teams saddled with the task of curbing misinformation and disinformation on those social platforms.

It will be recalled that major social media platforms have spent years in expanding their efforts to tackle misinformation since 2016 hiring policy experts while investing more technology to limit the reach of false narratives.

However, in recent months these platforms have had to cut down staff in charge of handling misinformation, the New York Times has reported.

READ : AI-generated misinformation tops global risks in 2024, says World Economic Forum

The report stated that YouTube owned by Google fired two of its five misinformation experts, including the team’s manager leaving behind one person for political misinformation and two for medical misinformation.

It also shed two of its five policy experts who work on hate speech and harassment issues. These experts have played critical roles determining where the company’s acceptable and unacceptable content should be and advised executives on difficult content decisions.

The cuts also reflects across the industry that threatens to undo many of the safeguards that social media platforms put in recent years to ban disinformation.

Twitter under its new owner, Elon Musk has slashed its staff while Meta which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has shifted its focus and resources to the submerging world of the Metaverse.

Faced with economic headwinds and political and legal pressure, these major platforms have showed signs that fighting false information online is no longer a priority, raising fears among experts who track the issue that it will further disintegrate trust online.

The president of the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America, Angelo Carusone said “I wouldn’t say the war is over, but I think we’ve lost key battles.”

After years of efforts, he described a mounting sense of fatigue in the struggle. “I do think we, as a society, have lost the appetite to keep battling. And that means we will lose the war.” he added.

The companies maintain they remain diligent, but the efforts to combat false and misleading information online have declined at a time when the problem of misinformation remains as destructive as ever with an increase of alternative sites competing for users.

Meta recently restored the accounts of former President Donald J. Trump on Facebook and Instagram, barely two years after suspending him for inciting violence ahead of the storming of the Capitol.

Mr. Musk has also invited Mr. Trump back to Twitter, one of the many steps he has taken to dismantle many of the platform’s previous policies. The team that oversaw trust and safety issues — including misinformation — was among those eliminated under Mr. Musk’s leadership.

Researchers at Media Matters found several examples of Covid-19 misinformation being spread on YouTube Shorts, the platform’s service for minute-long videos, in the past week. They also found an array of videos that espoused hateful, misogynistic and transphobic views. Some were from well-known creators.

“YouTube and the other social media platforms are inconsistent in their enforcement of their policies,” Kayla Gogarty, the deputy research director for Media Matters, said.

YouTube said it was always working to strike a balance between allowing free expression and protecting online and real-world communities from harm. Nicole Bell, a spokeswoman for the company, said that YouTube removed six videos flagged by Media Matters for violating its policies, and it terminated a channel for uploading content from a banned creator. But most of the more than two dozen videos flagged by Media Matters did not break the platform’s rules, she said.

READ ALSO : YouTube profits from Ads on channels promoting climate misinformation – Report

Last year, the International Fact-Checking Network, representing more than 80 organizations, warned in a letter addressed to YouTube that the platform was “one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide,” and that it was not addressing the problem.

The consequences of easing up on the fight against misinformation have become clear on Twitter. A report by two advocacy groups, the Network Contagion Research Institute and the Combat Antisemitism Movement, found a surge in antisemitic content as Mr. Musk took over.

Nora Benavidez, senior counsel at Free Press, an advocacy group for digital rights and accountability, said the experience at Twitter showed that moderating offensive content remained important for the viability of platforms, regardless of economic considerations.

“Content moderation is good for business, and it is good for democracy,” she said. “Companies are failing to do that because they seem to think they don’t have a big enough role to play, so they’re turning their back on it.”

Does Nigeria’s electoral law say a contestant for House of Reps seat must possess N70 million cash?

Nurudeen Akewushola and Rosemary Ajayi
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Does Nigeria’s electoral law say a contestant for House of Reps seat must possess N70 million cash?

The majority leader of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, has claimed that the electoral law permits a contestant for the House of Representatives seat to possess at least N70 million “in cash” to cover his expenses for the election.

Doguwa, who is also the chairman of House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the new naira redesign and naira swap policy made this claim on Thursday, February 16, 2023, after a meeting with Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja while expressing dissatisfaction over the scarcity of Naira notes.

“Now that the president has issued the directive, how do we ensure that the president’s directive is being carried out on the ground? This is what we came to iron out today,” Doguwa said.

READ : Dino Melaye spreads false claim about INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu

He added: “No matter how professional a policy is, it is counterproductive if it induces suffering on Nigerians.

“A member of the House of Representatives is expected by law to have [no] more than N70 million naira to conduct his elections, logistics, and other things. The law has permitted me to have N70 million as logistics. I need to have this N70 million in hard copy.

“As I speak to you, I don’t have it, which means if this policy continues this way, if the central bank fails to make available this money, we need to fund our elections. Definitely, every candidate, no matter what party he belongs to, will be put at disadvantage.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria has insisted on February 10, 2023 deadline for the use of old naira notes despite the nation’s Supreme Court’s order that it should remain a legal tender.

In his nationwide broadcast on Thursday, President Buhari said while the old N200 note remains legal tender till April 10, 2023, the old N500 and N1,000 notes are redeemable at the CBN or designated cash swap centres.

CLAIM

Electoral law says contestants for House of Reps seat has to possess N70 million in cash.

THE FINDINGS

Checks by the Nigerian Fact-checkers Coalition (NFC) show that the claim is INCORRECT.

To understand the legal requirements related to election expenses, we referred to the Electoral Act, 2022.

Section 88 (4) of the Act states that:

“The maximum amount of election expenses to be incurred by a candidate in respect of Senatorial and House of Representatives seat shall not exceed N100,000,000 and N70,000,000 respectively.”

However, the law does not stipulate the nature of these expenses or whether it should be in cash.

READ ALSO : Video does not show INEC REC for Adamawa brutalized

In addition, we presented Doguwa’s claims to Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu,  and asked for further clarity:

“The law does not say a House of Representatives candidate must or should have N70,000,000. No. It only states very clearly that they cannot spend more than N70,000,000 on election expenses.

“So, it is not correct for a candidate for the House of Representatives seat to say or insinuate that he or she is expected to have N70,000,000. That’s not what the law says,” Oyekanmi told our fact-checkers.

THE VERDICT

The claim that the Electoral law says contestants for House of Reps seat has to possess N70 million in cash is INCORRECT; the Electoral Act 2022 only stated that it is the maximum amount allowed to be incurred on election expenses by any federal legislative candidate, and neither did it specifically said it should be in cash.

Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition

*This fact-check was researched and written by Nurudeen Akewushola (FactCheckHub) and Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab), members of the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC) and edited by Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub).

Video of DSS barring lawmakers from entering National Assembly is over 4 years old

Nurudeen Akewushola
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Video of DSS barring lawmakers from entering National Assembly is over 4 years old

A video showing some lawmakers at the entrance of Nigeria’s legislative complex in Abuja has circulated online with a claim that the Department of Security Services (DSS) has shut down the National Assembly.

In the video, some lawmakers were seen at the entrance of the complex lamenting over how DSS operatives led a siege there and prevented them from gaining entrance into the Hallowed Chambers.

The video has been going viral in several WhatsApp groups with a claim that the DSS recently shut down the national assembly.

A caption from the footage retrieved from a WhatsApp group by The FactCheckHub read:

“BREAKING NEWS: NIGERIA IS NOW IN A STATE OF ANARCHY/DICTATORSHIP. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN BY UNKNOWN FORCES AND TAKEN OVER BY DSS!” 

The video has found its way into the Nigerian social media space. It has been shared by several Twitter and Facebook users with a similar caption as can been seen here.

A Twitter user, @vivoexpresswisp tweeted the video with a caption thus:

“As an ex General, Buhari is a step ahead of rubber stamp National Assembly.  Now DSS have locked up National Assembly. How will they impeach Buhari now?I stand with Buhari and Emefiele. Old Naira notes must go!(sic).”

The tweet has garnered over 47,000 views with about 80 retweets as of Thursday, February 16, 2023.

A Facebook user, Lady K Ifeoluwa posted the video on Facebook with a caption that read:

“YAWA DON GAS, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN SHOT DOWN AND HAVE BEEN TAKEN OVER BY DSS. STATE OF ANARCHY BEGUN.”

The post has garnered more than 167,000 views, over 2,000 likes and about 940 comments as of Thursday, February 16, 2023.

CLAIM 

Video shows DSS barring lawmakers from entering the National Assembly in 2023.

Screenshot of the viral video

THE FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

The FactCheckHub subjected the keyframes of the footage to multiple Reverse Image Search; the results revealed that the video has been online since 2018.

An earlier version of the video seen by The FactCheckHub was uploaded by Channels TV on YouTube on August 7, 2018.

The video shows some lawmakers stranded outside the National Assembly Complex, as DSS officers stormed the legislative complex.

According to media reports, the masked operatives and officials of the Department of State Security Services who reportedly said they acted based on ‘order from the above’ barricaded the National Assembly entrance preventing lawmakers from entering the complex.

The leadership of the parliament was expected to meet on the day to deliberate on issues affecting the polity and the 2019 general elections and the N428 billion election budget proposal.

THE VERDICT

The video which showed lawmakers being barred from entering the National Assembly was from an incident that happened in 2018.

2023: Nigerian fact-checkers deploy Full Fact’s AI tools to combat election-related misinformation

Faith Abeka
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2023: Nigerian fact-checkers deploy Full Fact’s AI tools to combat election-related misinformation

FULL Fact, a UK-based fact-checking organisation, has partnered with the Nigerian Fact-checkers Coalition (NFC) to promote credibility of information available in public space during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.

The partnership will see the coalition partners access the Full Fact’s AI platform to source election-related claims for debunk before and during the election.

The coalition will also use the AI tool’s live transcription feature during live-checks for any election-related debates involving presidential and governorship candidates ahead of the elections.

This was contained in a joint press statement released on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

The statement reads: “Collaborating with International Fact Checking Network (IFCN) members Africa Check, Dubawa, and FactCheckHub, Full Fact will expand the use of its AI tools to stop the spread of misinformation during the election.

“The project, made possible by a $2 million grant from Google’s philanthropic arm, Google.org, has already seen remarkable results. With the support of 7 dedicated technical Google.org Fellows who worked on a pro bono basis, Full Fact’s AI technology has seen a 1000x increase in claim detection (i.e. identifying which claims are most important to fact-check) and helped scale their fact-checks to appear in 237 million search results in 2020.

“The technology, developed by Full Fact since 2015, will now be used in a Nigerian election for the first time, offering instant transcription services and real-time fact-checking during debates, speeches and throughout the election process to increase the speed and accuracy of information dissemination.

“Full Fact will also provide ongoing training and support to its local fact-checking partners during the election process.

“Despite the emergence of organisations and initiatives aimed at countering the spread of misinformation and promoting accurate information in Nigeria, fact-checking still faces challenges such as limited resources and difficulties accessing information.

“However, with the help of AI technology, Full Fact is determined to make it harder for false and misleading claims to spread and erode trust in democracy.”

READ : 2023 in Review: Major fake news that clouded Nigeria’s media space

“Every vote should be an informed vote,” says Will Moy, CEO of Full Fact.

“We’ve seen first hand how bad information spreads during an election and it can’t be allowed to undermine democracy.

“Our AI tools, with support from Google.org, help fact checkers stay ahead of false claims and promote accurate information. We’re proud to support our partners in Nigeria during this important time,” Moy added.

“At Google.org, we’re dedicated to using our resources and technology to make a positive impact on society,” says Dawn Dimowo, Government Affairs & Public Policy Manager, Nigeria.

“Continuing our support for Full Fact in Nigeria is an exciting opportunity to help stop the spread of misinformation and promote accurate information during the election. This builds on our ongoing efforts to support local fact-checking initiatives. We’re proud to support this important project and make a positive difference in the world.”

Opeyemi Kehinde, Editor of FactCheckHub, said, “Using the Full Fact AI tool, built in collaboration with Africa Check, has enhanced our work ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general election. Since we were onboarded, our team of fact-checkers and researchers at the Nigerian Fact-checkers Coalition (NFC) have been utilising the AI platform to source claims for debunking easily.

“The platform also comes in handy for our live checks of political town halls and debates for candidates, especially its live transcription feature, which we hope to utilise in the days before the election.”

 

What is Full Fact AI?

Full Fact AI is a suite of robust, scalable software tools designed to assist fact checkers and organisations focused on promoting accurate information. The combination of artificial intelligence and human expertise enables Full Fact AI users to effectively combat misinformation while maintaining high standards of accuracy and credibility.

Full Fact AI provides three tools to Nigerian fact checkers: the Search tool, which helps identify the most significant statements to fact check each day by monitoring online media, social media, and RSS feeds; the Alerts tool, which informs fact checkers of repeat instances of previously fact-checked false information, allowing them to act quickly and insert accurate information into public discourse; and the Real-Time tool, which offers an instant transcription of election debates, interviews, and town halls, eliminating the need for manual transcription and providing a record of fact-checkable claims.

Kemi Busari, editor of Dubawa, said, “Full Fact AI has been very helpful in the lead up to the 2023 elections in Nigeria. I use the tools searching for claims and even identifying persistent spreaders of falsehood.

READ ALSO : Fact-checkers, journalists urged to curb misinformation to safeguard democracy in Africa

“These tools, combined, would further help us as fact-checkers to hold politicians accountable and help people access accurate information about the election.”

David Ajikobi, Nigerian editor at Africa check, said, “Full Fact’s AI Tools, which Africa Check helped develop, allow the coalition to monitor news websites, social media pages and transcribe live TV or radio to find claims to fact check.

“This has boosted the coalition’s resolve to significantly reduce the spread and impact of election-related misinformation and disinformation.”

During the course of the Nigerian elections, Full Fact AI will share fact checks, images, videos, and impact stories from their fact-checking service.

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