A VIRAL video circulating on WhatsApp has claimed that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu state, Dr. Peter Mbah Ndubuisi, has been killed after winning the party’s primary election.
Dr. Ndubuisi, a former Commissioner of Finance in the state, was declared the winner of the 2022 PDP governorship primary held on Wednesday, 25th of May, 2022, Premium Times had reported.
The 1-minute 36 seconds video, which was retrieved from a WhatsApp group on May 29, 2022, showed two bodies lying on the expressway, in shirts that are similar to the Nigerian police customized T-shirt. It also showed the body of a man who had fallen on the floor from the back seat of a black SUV car, which had almost fallen into a ditch.
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The car had multiple holes which suggested it was bullet-ridden, with voices in the video saying in Igbo language and translated thus: “This is happening right now in Enugu in broad daylight, in front of Centenary junction. That is Dr. Ndubuisi. These armed robbers have come again. Unknown gunmen. These people have come again. Nowhere is safe.”
The video was shared alongside a caption that reads: “Dr. Ndubuisi, the winner of Enugu state governorship primaries murdered this morning…… viewers discretion advised.”
CLAIM
Dr. Ndubuisi, the winner of Enugu state governorship primaries murdered this morning.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
When the video frames were subjected to verification on Google Reverse Image Search, an image verification tool, the results show that it was an old video which has been on the internet since July 2021.
Investigation revealed that the video was first published online in a news report on the murder of Professor Samuel Ndubuisi, the then Director-General of the Science Equipment Development Institute (SEDI), Enugu state along the Enugu – Port Harcourt Expressway on the 7th of July, 2021.
It was also reported by several media houses including TVCNews, The NEWS, The Sun newspaper and Daily Trust, among others same day.
The FactCheckHub also reached out to the Police Public Relations Officer of Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe Ekea, who affirmed that no such event happened in the state last weekend.
“It has been debunked. It is an old story. The candidate was not assassinated, and no such thing happened in the state,” he said.
The media aide of the PDP governorship candidate, Dan Nwomeh, in a statement also debunked the assassination of his principal.
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“We have been inundated with calls over fake news in circulation on some social media platforms on the purported assassination of the Enugu state PDP governorship flagbearer, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.
“Our investigations indicate that the story was doctored from the video of the unfortunate gruesome assassination of one Dr. Ndubuisi (real name: Professor Samuel Ndubuisi), the director-general of the Science and Equipment Development Institute (SEDI), along the Enugu – Port Harcourt expressway.
“It is the mere coincidence of “Ndubuisi” in the two names that have been twisted by some devious and malevolent characters to spread unfounded panic and alarm amongst our genuinely concerned teeming supporters and well-wishers in Enugu State and beyond.
“We condemn this wicked, ill-conceived misinformation and urge the masterminds to play politics of moderation and sportsmanship, have the fear of God and develop respect for the sanctity of human life,” the statement read.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Peter Mbah Ndubuisi, the PDP governorship candidate in Enugu state, has been murdered is FALSE; findings show that the old video has been on the internet since July 2021.
 in Enugu state, Dr. Peter Mbah Ndubuisi, has been killed after winning the party's primary election.){kind=link}
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