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
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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
*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).
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
