Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
Please note that the FactCheckHub has not obtained any right from the authors or copyright owners of all third-party contents from embedded links and shall incur no liability in this regard.
ON WEDNESDAY, 29th of June 2022, a news report circulates online with a claim that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has sacked Senator Iyorchia Ayu as its National Chairman.
A Twitter user, LMAN with the username @L_man__, claimed that the PDP has sacked the party chairman for misappropriation.
He added that the party has appointed its Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Damagum as its acting chairman.
“BREAKING PDP NWC Kicks Out Senator Iyorcha Ayu As National Chairman For Misappropriation, Appionts Damagum As Acting Chairman . PDP In Crisis !,” his tweet read.
The news was also published by blogs such as 9newsng and dezmayorz.
CLAIM
PDP sacks Senator Iyorchia Ayu as its National Chairman, appoints Damagum as acting chairman.
A screenshot of the viral tweet.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
PDP’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in a statement seen by The FactCheckHub, revealed that he is currently on a two-week leave.
The statement signed by his Special Adviser on Communication, Simon Imobo-Tswam, said Ayu will be back next week to resume duties, specifically on July 6, 2022.
“It was in that acting capacity that he (Damagum) today, presided over the inauguration of the Osun State Gubernatorial Campaign Council, headed by the Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, H.E. Douye Diri.
“If not that the authors of the mischievous and baseless Facebook posts were out to serve nefarious interests, they would have heard when the acting national chairman, Amb. Damagun, said during the ceremony today: “On behalf of my able National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, I hereby inaugurate you.”
“The general public is, therefore, advised to ignore the mischievous social media publications as they are purely the work of mischief-makers and idle minds,” the statement reads.
Similarly, the PDP national publicity secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, has described the news of the replacement of Ayu as false.
Ologunagba in a statement said the report is the handiwork of people that are trying to destabilize the party.
“Such a report is completely false and a product of the imagination of mischief makers with the intent to destabilize our Party, create an impression of crisis within our ranks and mislead the unsuspecting members of the public,” he stated.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the PDP has sacked Senator Iyorchia Ayu as its national chairman and appointed Umar Damagum in his place is FALSE; as findings show that Damagum is acting in the party’s chairmanship capacity, while Ayu is away on leave.
AHEAD of Nigeria’s 2023 general election, a group photo of some young school children has gone viral on social media with a claim that it shows the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his primary school classmates.
The pupils were seen seated in a row; amidst them is a white woman who appeared to be their teacher.
In the photo, a pupil was labelled with an arrow with a caption that indicates that the child was Tinubu amidst his classmates when he was in primary school.
The photo has been circulating online amidst controversy over Tinubu’s primary and secondary school certificates.
Tinubu had told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the academic certificates he received from his primary and secondary schools were missing.
The former governor of Lagos state further averred that he had two degrees from two American universities, which were allegedly stolen by ‘unknown soldiers’ during the military junta in 1994.
He made the disclosure in an affidavit submitted to the INEC as part of his eligibility filings for the 2023 presidential election.
In the said affidavit, Tinubu left the columns for his primary and secondary education unticked, eliciting mixed reactions among Nigerians.
A Twitter account with the username @vakkai tweeted the claim with a caption that read: “Master Ogunlere Amoda Yekini with his classmates in 1947. The 9 year old pupil is fondly referred to today as “BOLA TINUBU”. ”
The tweet has been retweeted more than 190 times and garnered more than 360 likes as of Thursday morning.
Another Twitter user, @Gen_Buhar tweeted the photo with a caption thus:
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his primary school classmates. It’s a shame that people you thought were a bit smart fell for such a cheap lie. No wonder they spent 7 years looking at the left ear. What a shame. When you allow yourself to be mislead by Bode George that has no Proper children’s. Since he has been convicted no one can cure his depression since then.”
The tweet has garnered over 40 retweets and more than 100 likes as of Thursday morning.
A Facebook page, Forest Reporters posted the photo with a caption that read: “Master Ogunlere Amoda Yekini with his classmates in 1947. The 9 year old pupil is fondly referred to today as “BOLA TINUBU”.”
The post has generated more than 3,000 likes, over 3,000 comments, and more than 2,500 shares.
Another Facebook page, Daybreak News, also posted the photo with a similar caption that read: “Picture of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu with his Primary School Classmates surfaces. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended St John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos State.”
The photo was also circulated on several WhatsApp groups.
CLAIM
That photo shows Tinubu with his primary school classmates.
Screenshot of the viral claim on Facebook.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
When The FactCheckHub subjected the image to Google Reverse Image Search, the result shows that the image has been online since 2015.
According to several online mediums such as Herald Nigeria and Linda Ikeji Blog, the photo shows Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with his primary school classmates in Corona Primary School, Lagos state.
The photo was also among the pictures published in May 2022 by Newswire under an article that featured Osinbajo’s biography.
There is no credible medium that portrays the image as that of Tinubu with his primary school classmates. Also, it was not posted by Tinubu or any of his media aides.
When contacted by The FactCheckHub, Osinbajo’s media aide, Laolu Akande, confirmed that the photo is that of Vice President Osinbajo.
“The image has gone round several times. It’s the VP,” he said.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the photo shows Bola Tinubu with his primary school classmates is FALSE; as findings show that the image is that of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
AHEAD of the 2023 general election, a viral image showing the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, wearing a cap popularly identified with the customized design of Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, has surfaced on social media.
The claim signifies Obi’s solidarity and support for Tinubu’s presidency, even though both are rival candidates.
Tinubu, a man from the South-Western part of the country, is known for his bent Yoruba traditional cap. The cap has what looks like an infinity sign embroidered on it.
Most of his supporters show off the caps to prove their loyalty and support for his presidential aspiration.
A Facebook user, Ayodeji Ajise, posted the photo with a caption: “Obi is finally BATIFIED!!!”
A Twitter user, @Adeyemi62811314, tweeted the photo with a caption:
“@peter obi believe that no doubt Tinubu is the greatest man for president that is the signal one cap.”
The image had earlier been widely posted and shared by several Facebook users, as seen here and here and shared on many WhatsApp accounts.
CLAIM
That the photo shows Peter Obi wearing Bola Tinubu’s signature cap.
Screenshot of the manipulated image of Peter Obi in ‘Tinubu’s signature’ cap.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
When subjected to a Google Reverse Image search, the result shows the image has been altered.
The image was shot during the wedding ceremony of Obi’s daughter, Gabriella Nwamaka, which took place in Anambra state in April. Obi was not putting on any cap in the picture, contrary to what is seen in the manipulated image.
The original photo shows Obi without a cap.
The image was among the several pictures taken (as can be seen here and here) during the event.
The FactCheckHub observed that Obi rarely wears a cap, even when dressed in native attires. The presidential candidate appears without a cap in most of his photos and videos seen on the internet.
For instance, Peter Obi was seen without a cap during his recent trip to Egypt. He also appeared here without a cap during his recent visit to Governor Wike. A google search of his name also shows that Obi often appears without a cap.
THE VERDICT
The image that shows Obi wearing Tinubu’s traditional cap has been manipulated; hence, it is FALSE.
Fake news peddlers often take photographs out of context.
They digitally alter the photographs to promote an agenda or push an interest, thus manipulating the readers, knowing fully well that people tend to accept photographs as evidence to validate a story.
These misrepresentations of images have helped drive the growth of fake news. They have been one of the primary tools used by fake news purveyors to spread false narratives and mislead the public.
Manipulated images could come as altered images. They could be old photographs shared as new to describe current events and pictures taken out of context.
With the help of digital tools, people combine two unrelated objects in one image and make it look like one. They could erase or add something to an image in ways that make readers find it hard to detect it as fictitious.
Even though there are tools to verify the authenticity of the photographs, or if manipulated or not, the combination of these following tips would help you discern their authenticities.
1. Zoom the image and examine it critically
When looked at critically, some doctored images may manifest some traces which can point to the fact that it was manipulated. Though there is no hard and fast rule as different manipulated images exhibit different characteristics, but the image can be zoomed and every part of it is examined to check for superimposition, colour incoherence and other forms of error.
You can also check for poorly worded text, rough edges within the image, or strange cropping or camera angles — all of these can indicate that the image has been tampered with.
Below is an image which shows a former chief of staff, Abba Kyari, seated and signing a document, while President Buhari was supposedly seen standing beside him.
The picture which trended in 2019 was used to spread narration that the former chief of staff was the one ruling the country and not the president. But looking around their necks critically, one could tell that the heads were swapped.
The manipulated imageThe Original image
2. Use Google Reverse Image Search
The tool is one of the ways to trace the source of an image. Once you see a seemingly doctored image, you can perform a reverse image search on it.
Other tools such as TinEye or Yandex, have also proven useful. The reverse image search websites will find the original picture if it exists on the internet.
Google Reverse Image Search helps you quickly discover visually similar images from around the web. Once you upload a photograph from your desktop to Google Images, it will show you related images used on other websites and different sizes of the same photo.
See the manipulated photos of Ganduje and Peter Obi detected using a google reverse image search.
When a manipulator wishes to make the targeted objects appear bigger or smaller it can result in an alteration of the background.
A manipulated image at times tends to leave traces of bent or distorted surfaces in the background, which ought to be regular on the norm. This is also another red flag that such an image has been manipulated.
An instance of this was when some Nigerian women, including celebrities on social media, were using photoshop to edit their body shapes. The background however gave them away. It appeared bent and distorted, exposing the fact those images have been digitally manipulated.
A couple of those examples can be seen on this blog.
An instance of photoshopping exposed by the warped background
4. Cloning Error
To clone is to create a copy. Cloning involves duplicating part of an image to create uniform patterns in a photo or remove blemishes in a photo. Cloning, at times, leaves traces in a manipulated photo, making it possible when examined.
This can also be better spotted using forensic clone detectors or other verification tools. Clone detectors highlight similar regions within an image. This can also be an indication that a picture has been manipulated.
5. Check the Image Metadata
Image metadata is text information about an image file that is embedded into the file or contained in a separate file associated with it.
Any digital photo file contains useful metadata. Some of this is collected as EXIF data, which you can quickly look at using a tool such as InVID.
The EXIF data allows you to get relevant information on a photograph. These include camera model, exposure, aperture, ISO, what camera mode was used and whether or not a flash occurred.
It may also reveal the type of camera that took the photo, and it can sometimes reveal the last piece of software used to save the image. It may also reveal if the image has been altered with a tool like photoshop.
However, it is not 100 per cent reliable as it could be yanked off or modified.
You check basic image metadata information on PC, click on the “Details” tab and scroll down—you’ll see all kinds of information about the camera used and the settings the photo was taken with.
These tools help to highlight distortions, forgery and other forms of manipulations.
This image shows a scene from the Catalan independence referendum protests in 2017. While the image actually depicts a scene from the incident, forensic analysis by InVID shows that the Catalan flag is a subsequent addition to the image.
Manipulated image with the addition of Catalan flag
Original image
Analysed image indicating the addition
Note that just one red flag may not suffice to establish that an image was digitally manipulated.
However, the combination of your human observations and the red flags mentioned above can make you reach a logical conclusion on whether the image under observation has been manipulated or not.
EKITI State governorship election was held on June 18 after several weeks of preparations with sixteen contestants.
It was another opportunity for Ekiti residents and indigenes to elect their next administrator, who would pilot the affairs of the state for another four years once the incumbent Governor, Kayode Fayemi, leaves office.
Though now concluded, it may be recorded as one of the most peaceful elections in the history of the country. It was primarily tagged peaceful and fair even by most of the electorate, including the candidates.
There were three front-runner contestants – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bisi Kolawole, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Biodun Oyebanji and the former governor of the state who joined the race under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Segun Oni.
Reports say over 900 000 voters registered for the Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to partake in the poll, but less than 800 000 voters picked their PVCs, and an even less number voted.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) put the total number of registered voters at 939 224.
But INEC’s Returning Officer, Kayode Adebowale, who declared Oyebanji of the APC as the overall winner, announced the total valid votes at 351,865 from 363 438 accredited voters.
Turn – offs
Even though voters’ turn-out appeared good, it was still relatively low at 36 per cent when compared with the figure of registered voters.
The spread of misinformation was a major turn-off. This mainly characterised the poll. Also were credibility concerns due to reported cases of vote-buying and pockets of violence.
Nevertheless, observations by the FactCheckHub revealed spin doctors and fake news purveyors took advantage of the poll to share misleading information in favour of their favourite candidates. This was at the expense of other flag bearers.
Social media platforms became the driving tool during the poll. Some of the controversial claims are, however, highlighted below.
Segun Oni withdrawing from the poll
In the heat of the election, a viral claim was shared on social media about Segun Oni, the SDP governorship candidate, that he pulled out of the election on the evening to the election day to support the PDP candidate.
A Twitter account holder identified as AlphaMale-74 @OtuBamArujeje shared the claim in a two-page document. It was allegedly written and signed by Oni Friday, June 17, 2022.
Besides, another version of the letter surfaced on social media. It was shared by one Kola Oluwole @babakay048. Although this was not dated, it was signed. Comparative analyses of the letter would late reveal both letters had different signatures attributed to Oni. The letters drew reactions from the public.
False letter announcing the withdrawal of SDP candidate from the governorship poll. Photo Source: Social MediaThis false claim circulates on Twitter early Saturday.
Tony @Tonyeleme, for instance, criticised the former governor describing him as unserious and unprepared.
“I am not surprised, really; I never liked his leadership style, even when he was Ekiti governor. I am not surprised, really; I never liked his leadership style, even when he was the governor of Ekiti,” he stated further.
Fola Diamond @Folajimidan, in his reaction, labelled Oni as “…a very unserious fellow.”
Yunuss @agyunuss swiftly drew on the post to share a personal experience of how he lost the chairmanship of the student association while in school, despite being a popular candidate because his opponent allegedly fabricated the story of his withdrawal, just as in the case of Oni.
Rebuttal for him was too late. With this, he felt the SDP candidate might find himself in a similar condition.
These, among others, were mixed feelings that followed the viral misinformation.
However, the claim against Oni eventually turned out false. Based on findings, Oni never wrote any letter accepting defeat to support a candidate from his former political party. It was an evening prior to the election day; hence, publicly disregarding the claim became inevitable.
“I believe it shows the spirit of panic,” he stated in his reaction. “I have not caught a deal with anybody. Number one cannot withdraw. Who will he withdraw for? Two or three?” he queried.
‘I am still in the race. I’ve not withdrawn. My positive street approval ratings have stoked fears in my opponents.’
Ekiti state, SDP Governorship Candidate, Segun Oni dismissing rumours of his purported withdrawal and insisting that he is the frontrunner and the man to beat. pic.twitter.com/9N52MKy4Kf
The Ekiti State SDP Spokesperson, Gani Salau, also denied the viral claim, including other party officials.
These excluded reports from other credible media organisations that reported the rebuttal. It was fact-checked here by The FactCheckHub.
ADP female candidate debunk stepping down for Oni
Similar to the case of Oni is that of the candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Kemi Elebute-Halle.
Claims circulated that the female candidate has ended her ambition to support the SDP candidate during the election.
The claim was mainly shared on Facebook with remarks from people criticising how she could have taken such a decision even though she wasn’t a front-runner candidate. But the 40-year-old candidate was quick to debunk the viral claim.
She tweeted, denying the claim. She never stepped down for anyone. “I’m still in the Governorship race, debunk every contrary news.” Again, the false claim would no doubt affect her already slim chances due to the gender bias and relatively unpopular party through which she contested.
“I’m still in Governorship race, debunk every contrary news”
The Head of Fact-Checking Desk at Daily Trust Newspaper, Phillip Clement, believed misinformation, to an extent, could influence the general outcome of the just concluded election. “This is further engineered with the proliferation of the social media where people post whatever they wish to, and within the twinkle of an eye, it has gone viral.”
He made reference to the viral letter on social media alleging Oni’s withdrawal. The same thing goes for the candidate of the ADP, Elebute-Halle saying she stepped aside for Oni.
“Both stories turned out to be false.”
“Consequently, the misinformation at that time could have changed the mind of voters completely and had a significant impact on the elections as the supporters of both candidates could have easily diverted their votes.”
From Egypt to Ekiti, false claim about Peter Obi surfaces during poll
In the heat of the election, a suspected photograph of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, went viral on the internet. The photograph depicted Obi campaigning to a mammoth crowd in Ekiti.
“Labour Party’s Campaign For Peter Obi Today in Ado Ekiti…We Are Coming!!! The People Is The Structure,” it tweeted.
Fake news on Peter Obi campaign in Ekiti surfaces on the internet.
However, verification would later reveal the photograph as that of the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, during his recent campaign to Ekiti state prior to the guber election date.
Obi supposedly distributes money to applaud loyal supporters
In another viral photograph shared by Twitter handle MaskUpNigeia @iamneji, he wrongly depicted Obi distributing money to people in Ekiti state. It was also retweeted here.
The tweet with the misleading caption.
“In appreciation of our loyal supporters in EkitiDecides2022.”
But, as usual, it turned out to be a 2017 photograph not related to the 2022 Ekiti state election.
Fayemi’s aide false claim over vote-buying
The Senior Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor Wunmi Bello claimed there was no vote-buying around the Ido-Osi Local Government Area of the state and other parts of Ekiti during the governorship election.
She was responding to questions raised by the Arise Correspondent over Oni’s take that there were reported cases of vote-buying in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, and a few others.
But on the contrary, several voting-buying incidents were reported across different polling units during the poll.
Field reportage by The ICIR and other media reports alluded to the case of voters’ inducement. This was a misrepresentation of facts put forward by the governor’s aide, hence fact-checked.
Implications of sharing misinformation during elections
False narration spread during a campaign process, especially during an election, could influence voters’ decisions. The last election in Ekiti was not an exception.
It has, therefore, become a reoccurrence during major elections in the country.
These, however, point to the likelihood of having more misinformation shared in next year’s 2023 general election, except proactive action is taken by media houses and other relevant stakeholders.
An instance of a party candidate supposedly stepping down for the other could have only implied one thing – the opposition candidate getting more votes than usual.
Though a Fact-Checker and Head of Investigations at the Humangle, Kunle Adebajo, believed several factors could come to play for voters to decide who to cast their ballot, the kind of information at their disposal is critical to their voting decision. Hence, the need for live fact-checking.
“People’s decision to vote for a person and people’s decision to vote at all is easily influenced by a bunch of factors. Whether they think they can trust a political candidate. Whether they think the person will represent their best interests. Whether they believe it is safe to go out and cast their ballots. Whether they think; however, their vote has any impact on their quality of life and the quality of governance they will get.”
“However, inflammatory, misleading, and inaccurate information can lead to increased levels of voter apathy or the electorate voting based on emotional sentiments and imagined dangers, rather than what’s truly best for them,” he added.
Adebajo identified the need to improve fact-checking infrastructure across news platforms while politicians are made more accountable to address the spread of misinformation. With this, they could avoid being embarrassed by reports proving they made misleading or unverified information.
“This is the time for news outlets that do not have independent fact-check desks to start setting them up and equipping their reporters with the skills necessary to match the task ahead. Live fact-checks of debates should become the norm.
“Constant tracking of misinformation on the day of election should also be done to prevent the breakdown of law and order or other negative consequences that’ll compromise the credibility of the polls. Fact-checkers should be studying party manifestos and questioning the achievements flaunted by incumbent politicians to keep the public well-informed. They should also continue to educate their readers about how to identify possible misinformation themselves, so they don’t necessarily depend on published fact-checks to approach suspicious claims with caution and a critical mind.”
In holding politicians accountable to curb the spread of fake news, Clement proposed the media should beam their searchlights more on public statements made by the politicians, as in most cases, there could be loopholes or gaps in statistics or pronouncements made.
Ahead of the 2023 elections, Fact-checkers were advised to be more proactive and deploy different verification tools to carry out their duties.
“We need more fact Checkers to keep misinformation in check ahead of the 2023 Elections.”
THE Department of State Services (DSS) has described fake news and social media as the biggest threat to the 2023 general elections.
The DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya, while responding to questions from journalists at a briefing in Abuja, said sharing of fake news along with incorrect and inflammatory coAmmentary has led to violence in some parts of the country.
“We are into elections and political programmes have started. What the media and every stakeholder must do is to ensure that the game is played according to rules. Nigerians must avoid any act that promotes hate and disintegration and say no to the separatist movements, terrorism, fake news, hate speech, religious bigotry and any act that tends to divide us as a nation.
Afunanya urged the general public, particular journalists, to always fact-check information before publishing.
“Social media and fake news are the biggest threat to human existence not only to elections. Fake news is a major cause of violence in our society now. As journalists, you should always fact-check information before publishing.
“We must understand that Nigeria is the only country we have and everyone must put hands on deck to ensure that there is peace. The media should be up and doing in ensuring the peace is restored in the country.
He, however, warned against misinformation and unguarded statements that could derail efforts to deepen Nigeria’s democracy.
“Slanting news to achieve ulterior motives should be avoided and I want to assure that the DSS won’t abdicate its responsibilities and would continue to do the right thing no matter whose ox is gored.”
A claim circulating on social media attributed to the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, says the investment made by Peter Obi, ex-governor of the state, at $20 million is now worth $100 million.
The claim, first retrieved on June 20, 2022, from a Facebook page “Lamentations of a Bishop” archived here, has gathered various reactions, including 724 likes, 709 comments and 90 shares.
It surfaced on social media amidst drives to drum support for Obi, a presidential candidate under the Labour Party (LP), as the country prepares for the 2023 general election.
TheFactCheckHub discovered the post has widely circulated on Twitter.
A screenshot of the tweet.
One of the tweets from a verified handle @isaacafrica_ archived here says, “Did you know that PeterObi’s $20 million investment in Anambra is worth $100 million today? We don’t grow big to manage well. We manage well to grow big. Peter Obi has shown faithfulness in little. For this and more, he’s easily the best man for the job. #ObiKwaso lokan”. The tweet has since gathered 5,040 likes and 1,814 retweets.
Another tweet from @buchyogba reads, “PeterObi’s $20m investment in Anambra is worth $100m today —Soludo.”
A screenshot of the tweet.
THE CLAIM
The Anambra state Governor, Charles Soludo, said that former governor Peter Obi’s investment of $20 million is now worth $100 million.
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Through his verified Facebook page, the Governor of Anambra state, Charles Soludo, took to the Facebook post’s comment section to debunk the claim. The disclaimer says that the claim shouldn’t be accredited to the governor, as it did not originate from him.
A screenshot of his response
“Where did you read or hear me make such false statement? This fake news has been roundly debunked by my team,” the comment read.
“We can always carry on with campaigning for our preferred candidates without consciously misleading the reading public. This report is false and never emanated from me. Thank you”.
THE VERDICT
Claim attributed to Charles Soludo that ex-governor peter Obi’s investment of $20 million is now worth $100 million is FALSE.
TWO fact-checks published by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), have been shortlisted for the Global Fact 9 award in Norway.
The reports were shortlisted under the High Impact Fact-Check category.
Global Fact 9, the only conference dedicated to fact-checking worldwide, organised by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute, USA is currently holding this year’s edition at Oslo Metropolitan University in Oslo, Norway. The conference ends on June 25.
The fact-check helped set the record straight about the location of a torture incident that was being said to have taken place in Nigeria. The incident actually happened in Mali.
The video circulated on social media in June 2021, showing a boy tied to a makeshift metal cross by a man who held an exposed electric wire.
This two-part series examined the claims of the (Nigeria’s) Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE) on critical infrastructure projects in South-East Nigeria.
On September 7, 2021, the Presidency Office of Digital Engagement (PODE) published what it called ‘a compendium of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ongoing and completed infrastructure projects in South-East Nigeria.’
The list was released two days before President Buhari’s visit to Imo State, one of the five states in Nigeria’s South-East region.
It was a strategy targeted at convincing the people of the region that the Buhari-led government, which they had accused severally of marginalising them, was committing humongous public resources to building and rehabilitating their decrepit infrastructures.
On-the-ground checks, however, showed that PODE lied on the status of some of the projects and told half-truths on a few others.
Both reports were co-published by the FactCheckHub, the verification platform aimed at combating misinformation in Nigeria and owned by the ICIR.
“The winners will be announced during the networking reception this (Thursday) evening at Kunstnerneshus and will receive $5,000 each as a token of recognition for their remarkable work,” says Baybars Örsek, the IFCN Director.
This year’s Global Fact is organized by the IFCN in partnership with a Norwegian fact-checking organization, Faktisk.no; OsloMET University; the journalism training institute Institutt for Journalistikk and the foundation for investigative journalism, SKUP.
The ICIR is a non-profit media organisation that seeks to promote transparency and accountability through robust investigative reporting.
A VIRAL article attributed to the former Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, analysing the uniqueness of at least three presidential candidates contesting Nigeria’s 2023 election, has surfaced on social media.
In the article attributed to Sanusi, he analysed the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A news blog, Naija24news, published the article with the headline: “Emir Sanusi Endorse Peter Obi for 2023 presidency.”
The article also appears on other blogs (here and here) with titles suggesting that Sanusi authored the quotes in support of Obi’s 2023 presidential bid.
The write-up reads:
“One peculiar thing about the top three guys battling it out for the 001 seats, is that neither of them is there for the money.
1. One has milked Nigeria well enough systematically and just wants to answer President by all means.* *He lives in Dubai full-time and only comes around every 4 years to contest for the Presidency.
He doesn’t understand the struggle of the average Nigerian. He doesn’t care so much. If he loses this one, he will go back to Dubai and wait out the next 4 years before coming out again.
Besides the fact that his ambition is scary, we can’t afford to have a Paul Biya of Cameroun as President.
2. Another has been controlling Lagos treasury since 2003. He just wants to fulfil his lifetime political ambition of answering President, even if he dies the next day after swearing-in.
He would properly share Nigeria-like cake with his boys….just like he did in Lagos. At the end of the day, he would teach us what being “fantastically corrupt” actually means.
3. The other was already a billionaire before 2003, and quite content with himself. He doesn’t need your money for anything. He wants to be President to reset things and lay the foundation for systemic governance in future.
He relates with the struggles of the average Nigerian, understands what Nigeria needs, and has volunteered himself to save us from impending catastrophe. Win or lose, he would most likely not contest again.
It is up to us to choose wisely.”
~ Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
Attached to the article, as seen on some social media accounts, is a photo collage of the duo.
A pro-Obi Facebook page, Peter Obi Labour Supporters posted the quote with a caption: “Peter Obi wrote.”
The post has garnered over 700 likes and 500 shares on Facebook as of Monday, 20th of June, 2022.
Another Facebook page, Peter Obi for President, also posted the article with a caption: “See Sanusi describing our presidential candidates.”
This has also generated over 100 likes and more than 60 shares on Facebook.
Beyond Facebook and Twitter, the article was widely circulated in WhatsApp groups by users.
CLAIM
That the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, wrote an article analysing Peter Obi, Atiku and Tinubu’s candidacy.
Screenshot of the viral article.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Munir Sanusi Bayero, Danburam Kano, and Chief of Staff to His Highness, Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II, CON in a statement published by Daily Trust on Monday debunked the article.
“Our attention has been drawn to an article circulating the online media space analysing the motives of the three presidential candidates in the 2023 elections.
“We would like to emphatically state that this was not authored by His Highness, Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II as is being widely attributed,” the statement read.
He further clarified that the former Emir does not bear Sanusi Lamido Sanusi any longer, saying he is now referred to as ‘HH Muhammad Sanusi II.’
“We also take this opportunity to encourage readers to scrutinize the information they find online to identify false and misleading information purported to have come from eminent personalities and thought leaders,” he counselled.
Similarly, our fact-checker observed that none of the social media users who posted the article disclosed their source(s) publicly, thus raising a red flag.
Also, a keyword search on Google did not reveal anywhere or when the former Emir made the statement.
Moreover, no credible media organisation in the country reported the article attributed to Sanusi.
Further findings by TheFactCheckHub traced the claim to a post made by Doyin Okupe, the former Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to a former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo. He attributed the article to an individual identified as Mohammed Sanusi but misconstrued it as written by the former Emir.
Further checks led to a different article written in Hausa and published in Premium Times, clarifying that the Emir did not author the quote.
The article, written in the Hausa language, was authored by Murtala Muhammad Gusau, the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah mosque in Kogi state. He is also a regular columnist on Premium Times.
Part of the article translated using the Google Translate – a language translation platform – reads:
“Dear brothers and sisters, as we wrote yesterday, we have spread the English language to attract the attention of the people, and today we are spreading the Hausa language.
“As you know, there is an article by a man named Sanusi Mohammed or Mohammed Sanusi who writes on social media, criticising politicians, insulting and abusing other politicians, but some people, who have a purpose in life, and who do not know who the author is, spread the word, claiming that it was written by His Highness the Emir of Kano Khalifah Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II.
“Therefore, we are trying to persuade the people to know that the attempt by some to link the writings of that man, Mohammed Sanusi, to the King is a great injustice. So, let’s be careful please!
“We further draw the attention of the entire nation to the fact that the author of this article, Mohammed Sanusi, is not the Caliph of King Muhammad Sanusi II. It’s just a person, a social media guy doing this post.
“And sadly, it is the writing of this man, Mohammed Sanusi, that you can see promoted by some great politicians to achieve their own ends!
“As we have seen, Mr. Doyin Okupe is spreading this false text, even claiming that it is from the Caliph, which, by the way, is false, not true at all. So please, people, let’s be more careful.”
TheFactCheckHub also reached out to Murtala, the Islamic scholar. He was found to be a close associate of the Emir. He, however, confirmed that the former CBN governor did not write the article.
“The article which is trending on social media was not written by him (Emir Sanusi), and that’s why we wrote and explained to people that they should stop displaying the article as an article written by him.
“We even discussed seriously with the Emir Sanusi regarding one Mohammed Sanusi writing on social media and that people are mistakenly attributing it to him.”
THE VERDICT
The claim that the former Emir of Kano authored the viral article attributed to him is FALSE; as Sanusi’s spokesperson debunked the claim.
A Twitter user with the handle, @iamneji tweeted a photo showing Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, giving out money to people in a market with a caption linking it to the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State held on Saturday, June 18, 2022.
The caption of the tweet archived here reads: “In appreciation of our loyal supporters in #EkitiDecides2022 . Thank you.”
Legit.ngreported that the photo shows Obi giving out money to traders when he led the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) campaign for the Anambra State Governorship election at a market on October 18, 2017.
This photo, alongside others taken at the scene, was also published here and here.
THE VERDICT
The photo showing Peter Obi giving out money to traders has been online since 2017 and has nothing to do with the June 18 gubernatorial election in Ekiti state; thus, the claim is MISLEADING.
