Arise News anchor, Oseni Rufai, on Tuesday, May 12, posted a video on X showing former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, shedding tears.
He claimed the video showed Pantami’s reaction after he was denied the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Gombe State.
The video, first published by a news blog, @daily_newspaper_headlines, on Instagram, was shared by Rufai without verification.
As of 14:44pm (GMT) of that day, his post had garnered over 10,000 views, 100 likes, and 42 reposts, with many commenters believing the claim to be true.
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CLAIM
Isa Ali Pantami was crying because he was denied governorship ticket by the APC.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
The post gained traction amid Pantami’s governorship ambition on the ruling APC platform in Gombe State.
In recent public appearances, he has projected himself as a strong contender, citing his federal experience and technical background as qualifications to lead the state.
However, despite his clear interest in the race, he was recently denied the party’s ticket following the APC’s adoption of Jamilu Gwamna as its consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
The FactCheckHub subjected keyframes in the video shared by Rufai to Google Reverse Image Search, and the result shows that the video is not recent and has no connection with the party’s decision to deny him the ticket.
The original footage was posted by Pantami on his official TikTok account on April 18, 2024. The video captures the former minister delivering a religious lecture during a Ramadan sermon at the Al-Noor Mosque in Abuja.
His emotional state was a response to the message regarding the virtues of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the mercy of Allah.
Despite the clear religious context of the original footage, the video was stripped of its background by the platform to fit a political narrative and reposted by Rufai without verification.
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VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Pantami shedding tears after being denied the APC governorship ticket is MISLEADING. The footage predates the current political development and shows Pantami becoming emotional during a religious sermon in 2024, not reacting to the APC’s governorship ticket decision.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
