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No, Obi, Kwankwaso didn’t travel to France to bring Tinubu back

Nurudeen Akewushola
Nurudeen Akewushola
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A video showing Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, at an airport has surfaced on social media with a claim that the politicians travelled to France to bring Nigerian president Bola Tinubu back to Nigeria.

The video was shared on X by an account with the caption:

“Obi and Kwankwaso arrive France to carry Tinubu back to Nigeria”

The post had generated over 400 reposts and more than 1,900 likes as of 29 September 2026.

However, a separate video posted by an X user, Esther Umoh, on 28 September, identified the two politicians as being in Abuja before their trip to Sokoto State.

CLAIM

Video shows Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso arriving in France to bring president Bola Tinubu back to Nigeria.

screenshot of the viral post

FINDINGS

Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.

A review of the video and other posts about the politicians’ movements shows that Obi and Kwankwaso were travelling to Sokoto State, Northwest Nigeria, not France.

On 28 September 2026, an X user, Esther Umoh, shared a video showing the two politicians at an airport in Abuja.

The post was captioned:

“The NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi, alongside his vice-presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, this morning in Abuja.”

Further checks by The FactCheckHub found that the politicians travelled to Sokoto State on the same day for political engagements ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to Tribune Online, Kwankwaso confirmed their arrival in Sokoto in a Facebook post, saying he accompanied Obi on a courtesy visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.

The report identified the visit as part of the politicians’ engagements ahead of the 2027 elections.

Similarly, Vanguard reported that Obi and Kwankwaso visited Sokoto on 28 September, where they held a town hall meeting with party delegates, leaders and supporters.

The meeting, held at Sokoto Guest Inn, was part of the NDC’s nationwide consultations ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The report also noted that Obi identified education, security and national unity as priorities of his proposed administration.

Additionally, Gaskiya Cast reported that the politicians arrived at Sultan Abubakar III International Airport in Sokoto, where they were received by the NDC governorship candidate in the state, Aliyu Shamsudeen, and other party members.

Before proceeding to the town hall meeting, Obi and Kwankwaso paid a courtesy visit to the Sultan of Sokoto.

These reports establish that the politicians went to Sokoto State, where they participated in political engagements and met with traditional and community leaders.

The reviewed reports contain no evidence that Obi and Kwankwaso travelled to France to bring Tinubu back to Nigeria.

VERDICT

The claim that Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso arrived in France to bring president Bola Tinubu back to Nigeria is MISLEADING. The politicians travelled to Sokoto State on 28 September 2026, for political engagements ahead of the 2027 general elections. During the visit, they also paid a courtesy call on the Sultan of Sokoto.

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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 nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.

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