Collation of election results is ongoing following the conduct of Nigeria’s 2023 Governorship and State Assembly Elections.
Nigerians on Saturday, March 18, 2023 voted to elect their governors in 28 states as well as state lawmakers into 36 State Houses of Assembly across the country.
All the 18 registered political parties in Nigeria fielded over 400 governorship candidates in the 28 states during the poll.
The Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC) brings you live-check of election-related misinformation and disinformation spreading online, as vote collation begins across the nation.
READ : LIVE-CHECK: Governorship polls hold in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi 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 or influencing the outcome of elections.
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This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward to read the latest checks.
Here are the live-checks from Sunday (March 19) till date:
Claim 1
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Chinaza #PeterObi-HypeMan (@MuchTalksBlog1), claims that the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate in Enugu state, Chijioke Edeoga, has won the Governorship election.
FINDINGS: As of 5pm on Tuesday (March 21), INEC is yet to declare the winner of the gubernatorial election in Enugu state. A press statement released by the commission says collation has been suspended in the state. Vanguard, Thisday live, and Tribune online all reported the suspension of the collation.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: INEC, Vanguard, Tribune online, and Thisday newspapers
DATE PUBLISHED: 21-03-2023
Claim 2
CLAIM: A Twitter user, @omoelerinjare, posted a video stating that the INEC collation officer deployed to Obingwa LGA in Abia State was brutalised by PDP thugs for not allowing them to change election results.
FINDINGS: According to Radio Nigeria’s report, INEC’s office in Obingwa Local Government of Abia state was attacked last Sunday. Some of its officials were held hostage in connection with the collation of results. The incident has prompted INEC’s review of the result.
However, the NFC could not ascertain if they were thugs from any particular political party.
VERDICT: PARTLY CORRECT
SOURCE: Radio Nigeria
DATE PUBLISHED: 21-03-2023
Claim 3
CLAIM: A broadcast message circulated on social media, particularly WhatsApp, implies that the INEC’s presiding Officer for Abia state, Professor Nnenna Oti, stated that the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu “directed” her to influence election results in Abia state.
FINDINGS: The alleged statement is found to have been doctored and altered. Although Ms Oti made a statement before calling on her administrative secretary to read the INEC’s press release suspending the election, she never insinuated foul play, as stated in the viral post. A 13-minute-long video report by TVC contains her actual statement. The INEC chairman and her administrative secretary debunked the claims when the NFC contacted them. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to INEC, has also issued a rebuttal debunking the claim.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: TVC, INEC
DATE PUBLISHED: 21-03-2023
Claim 4
CLAIM: Twitter users have shared a video claiming that police officers colluded with PDP thugs and INEC ad-hoc officials to whisk away ballot boxes in ward 20, polling unit 042, Port Harcourt Local Government Area (PHALGA) of Rivers state, during the governorship elections.
FINDINGS: From the NFC’s footage review, the police officers did not engage the INEC officers. Also, CODE observer Evelyn Williams, in Rivers state, confirmed to the NFC that thugs snatched ballot boxes in some local government wards in Obio-Akpor and PHALGA. Still, there were no reports of police officers’ involvement.
Meanwhile, the NFC discovered that voting results from the polling unit had been uploaded on the IReV portal. According to the results, PDP polled 85 votes, LP got six, and Action Democratic Party (ADP) scored four. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Action Party (A) received two votes each.
VERDICT: UNPROVEN
SOURCES: INEC IReV portal, CODE observer
DATE PUBLISHED: 21-03-2023
Claim 5
CLAIM: A Naija news report claiming that Anambra state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has threatened state residents that “there will be consequences for not voting APGA” has been circulating on social media.
FINDINGS: The report is based on a viral video, which shows Soludo discussing with a few people in Igbo language, standing in front of the Anambra State government House. The governor told a story claiming that Micheal Okpara, the premier of the Eastern Region in the First Republic, unearthed pipes his government laid in Inyi because the town did not vote for his party NCNC. Soludo concluded, “there must be a consequence, and there must be a reward.”
We analysed the video on InVID and its metadata confirmed that it is recent. In a different video, Soludo promised to cooperate with only APGA state assembly members.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Twitter, Sahara Reporters, InVID
DATE PUBLISHED: 21-03-2023
Claim 6
CLAIM: A social media user, @JohnFanimokun, shared a video on Twitter claiming that the All Progressives Grand Alliance and Labour Party supporters clashed in Anambra state on Saturday.
FINDINGS: Using Google Earth, the NFC performed a geo-location on the video and discovered it was captured at Shadia Onanuga street, Abule-Ado, in Lagos state.
Also, an INVID analysis of the video showed that it appeared recently, during the elections. Also, the female voice-over alleged that the violence distracted voters.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Google Earth, INVID
DATE PUBLISHED: 20-03-2023
Claim 7
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Habibu Abdulwahab (@sarkiabdulwahab), claims that at just 23 years of age, Mr Muhammad Adamu Oyanki has been elected to represent Doma North at the Nasarawa state House of Assembly.
FINDINGS: Based on the final list of House of Assembly contestants released by INEC and published by Premium Times, Mr Muhammad Adamu Oyanki, contesting under PDP, is 26 years old, not 23. As of 10 am today, INEC is yet to release the results of the Nasarawa state HOA elections.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: INEC, Premium Times
DATE PUBLISHED: 20-03-2023
Claim 8
CLAIM: A Twitter user, @chukzwrld, shared a video claiming that Enugu residents camped in the INEC office on Monday, 20 March 2023, “demanding the restoration of their stolen mandate!”
FINDINGS: In the video, protesters sang and prayed in Igbo, a language widely spoken in Enugu state, and they held posters of the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in Enugu, Chijioke Edeoga. Enugu-based journalists confirmed the incident saying they are LP supporters protesting due to allegations of manipulation of the governorship election results of two outstanding local government areas – Nsukka and Nkanu East. In response, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the suspension of collation in those local government areas.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Journalists and INEC
DATE PUBLISHED: 20-03-2023
Claim 9
CLAIM: The Nigerian Tribune reports that Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the Enugu State gubernatorial election.
FINDINGS: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the collation of results in the state. The commission said the suspension was to review results from two outstanding LGAs of Nsukka and Nkanu East.
As of 3:29pm on Monday, INEC had yet to complete the review. It has also not announced the winner as claimed.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCE: INEC
DATE PUBLISHED: 20-03-2023
Claim 10
CLAIM: Twitter users claim Alex Otti, Abia state governorship candidate of the Labour Party, has been declared the winner.
FINDINGS: Voting data available on the result viewing portal (IReV) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shows results from 1,844 polling units in the state, out of 4,062, have been uploaded as of 9:30pm on Saturday.
Also, the purported declaration of the candidate as the election winner has not been published by any credible media platform. The CODE election observer in the state, Ugochukwu Favour, told the NFC on Saturday at 11pm that collation is still ongoing at the ward level. Thus, a winner is yet to be declared.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC IReV portal
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 11
CLAIM: A Twitter user, IperuBoy (@Iperu_Boy), claims that the APC gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, led thugs to snatch ballot boxes at Iperu, Ikenne local government.
FINDINGS: Punch Journalist Ojuroungbe Sodiq, who was at the scene, stated that although thugs snatched ballot boxes, it was difficult to ascertain who was responsible. Also, Mr Abiodun did not appear in the pictures attached to the tweet.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCES: Punch Journalist, Google Lens
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 12
CLAIM: A Twitter user claims Hon Anthony Chinasa Abiola is Yoruba representing Umuahia Central Constituency in Abia State House of Assembly under the Labour Party.
FINDINGS: In a 1:10 minute YouTube clip by Television Continental (TVC News), Mr Chinasa clarified that he is not Yoruba. Chinasa, who spoke from 0:34 onwards, added that he is not of mixed ethnicity but fully Igbo.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: TVC News
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 13
CLAIM: Twitter user, Kelechi Favour (@kclove_diamond), shared an AIT video capturing a staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) caught with ballot papers and election materials in Olamaboro, Kogi State.
FINDINGS: The NFC contacted a Connected Development (CODE) observer, Umar Muhammed, in Kogi, who confirmed that the incident occurred. He explained that the man alleged a local government Chairman directed him to commit the act. The video is featured on AIT Live’s YouTube page.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: AIT Live and CODE observer
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 14
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Chinaza #PeterObi-HypeMan (@MuchTalksBlog1), claims that Wasiu Ayinde, Nigerian Fuji singer, was among the thugs who came to disrupt the election on Saturday.
FINDINGS: The one-minute-long video the claimant shared did not show that the Fuji singer was present at the location. Additionally, no reports from any credible media platform suggest or disclose Mr Ayinde’s role in ballot snatching during yesterday’s election.
Reacting to the allegation, Kunle Rasheed, the singer’s spokesperson, debunked the claims on his Facebook page, reiterating that Mr Ayinde will never partake in such an act nor endorse it.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: OSINT, Mr Ayinde’s spokesperson
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 15
CLAIM: A Twitter user, TIFE (@ZeekiHodl), claims that Olumide Oworu is not the INEC approved Labour Party’s candidate for Surulere, Lagos state House of Assembly.
FINDINGS: Premium Times’ report revealed that Mr Oworu was not included in INEC’s final list of contestants. This was also confirmed by Daily Trust’s report, which stated that Mr Adebayo Bode is the approved LP’s candidate for Surulere 1 Constituency.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Premium Times, Daily Trust
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 16
CLAIM: Viral social media posts claim a young man defeated the incumbent speaker, Yobe State House of Assembly, Ahmed Lawan Mirwa, in the polls.
FINDING: A report by TheCable confirms that the current speaker of the Yobe State House of Assembly, Mr Mirwa, lost his reelection bid for the Nguru state constituency II. Musa Lawan, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), won instead. Mr Lawan polled 6,648 votes, while Mr Mirwa got 6,466 votes.
Mr Lawan’s details on the INEC list showed that he is 32 years old.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: The Cable Newspaper, Premium Times
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 17
CLAIM: A Twitter user, @Theoladeledada, claims that Oladipupo Olatunde is the governor-elect of Ogun state.
FINDINGS: Checks on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) website show that Oladipupo Olatunde Adebutu is the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun state.
When the NFC contacted Oluwaseyi Afolabi, CODE observer in Ogun state, she clarified that as of 3:30 pm today, no winner had been declared at the INEC collation centre in the state.
Meanwhile, voting data on INEC’s result viewing portal (IReV) shows that, as of 3.05 pm, results from 4,931 polling units out of 5,042 in the state have been uploaded.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC IReV Portal
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 18
CLAIM: A Twitter user @goldmyneTV posted a video of people celebrating in Yola, claiming that Aishatu Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, has become the first female governor to be elected.
FINDINGS: INEC did not announce Binani as the governor-elect of Adamawa state. According to the Premium Times report as of 4pm on Sunday, only ten local governments have been announced out of Adamawa’s 21 local governments. In the report, PDP’s candidate and incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, currently leads with 186,536 votes, while APC’s Binani has 179,264.
VERDICT: Incorrect
SOURCE: Premium Times
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 19
CLAIM: Social media users claim a man named Chude has been kidnapped by the State Criminal Investigation Department in Anambra state.
FINDINGS: Chude (Nnamdi Chude), is a vocal voice for the Labour Party and Peter Obi on Twitter.
The Public Relations Officer of Anambra State Police Command, Ikenganyia Tochukwu has not replied the NFC’s messages. However, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, the governor of Anambra State, confirmed that Chude was arrested on 18 March 2023 in Anambra by the Cyber Crime Unit of Interpol and taken to Abuja.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: Anambra state governor
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 20
CLAIM: A Twitter user, @DeeOneAyekooto, claims that Jigawa State’s final results have been declared as follows: APC 460,302; PDP 275,776.
FINDINGS: As of 6:29pm on Sunday, results on INEC’s IReV show that only 11 LGA results have been uploaded out of 27 LGAs. Also, no credible media platforms have reported the final results in Jigawa state.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC IReV portal
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 21
CLAIM: A Twitter user, @ObrusMados, claims that Shittu Rukayat is the youngest member of the state House of Assembly in the whole of Nigeria.
FINDINGS: Yusuf Adebisi, a lawmaker in Oyo State House of Assembly, was the youngest state legislator when he was elected in 2019 at age 25 to represent Ibadan South West Constituency 1. However, Shittu Rukayat, 26, who was declared winner of the Kwara State House of Assembly election, is the youngest state legislator to be elected in 2023.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Tribune, Punch newspaper.
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 22
CLAIM: Twitter users have shared a photo of people holding placards and protesting against Igbos in Lagos.
The photo was shared in connection with pockets of clashes in Lagos during the governorship election on Saturday.
FINDINGS: TinEye and Google reverse image searches show the picture has been on the internet since 2015 and is unrelated to Saturday’s elections. The photo was shared on Nairaland, a Nigerian internet forum, in 2015.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCES: Nairaland, TinEye, Google Reverse Image
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
READ MORE : LIVE-CHECK: Claims about results of Nigeria’s 2023 Presidential, NASS elections circulate online
Claim 23
CLAIM: A Twitter user, @Mmadudili, claims that Labour Party’s candidate, Kelvin Chukwu, has been declared winner of Enugu East Senatorial election.
FINDINGS: The Punch Newspaper has reported that former Enugu State governor and Senator, Chimaroke Nnamani, lost his re-election bid to Kelvin Chukwu of the Labour Party. Leadership Newspaper also confirms Labour Party’s victory.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Punch, Leadership Newspaper
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
Claim 24
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Love Chijioke (@Realsnowlove1), suggests the PDP scored 30,000 votes in the Enugu State gubernatorial election when less than 13,323 votes were cast in the presidential elections.
FINDINGS: The latest report by PREMIUM TIMES (published around 4pm on Sunday) on the Enugu gubernatorial elections indicates that results are still being collated. Results gathered from eight (8) out of the 17 local governments show that PDP had at the time of the report polled 66,907 votes. Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES reported that a total number of 468,891 votes were cast in the presidential election in Enugu state. The PUNCH newspapers also recorded the same report, stating 456,424 as valid votes, 12, 467 invalid, and 468, 891 as the total votes cast.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Premium Times, Punch newspaper
DATE PUBLISHED: 19-03-2023
*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); Faruk Shuaibu (Daily Trust); Felix Tola-Winjobi (CDD); Rejoice Ewodage, Hannah Ajakaiye (FactsMatterNG); Bunmi Aduloju (The Cable); 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).
