NIGERIA’s general election is arguably one of the biggest events of 2023. The election was characterized by various forms of inaccurate and misleading claims from politicians and their supporters.
In this analysis, we take a recap of some of the claims we fact-checked before, during and after the 2023 general election.
1. Tinubu erroneously claimed Atiku was a Senate President
In the build-up to the 2023 general election, the current Nigerian president who was the flag-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) referred to his counterpart, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a Senate President.
Tinubu said this in January 2023 at the campaign rally of the APC in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, while calling on the electorate to sweep out the opposition parties at all levels of governance and promising a better living standard for all Nigerians. Our fact-check shows that Atiku Abubakar was never a lawmaker in the National Assembly throughout his political career till date.
READ : Atiku’s wife, Titi Abubakar makes false claim about the office of Nigeria’s first lady
2. Atiku’s wife, Titi Abubakar claimed no Yoruba woman has ever become first lady
Titi Abubakar, one of the wives of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election claimed that since the adoption of First Lady in Nigeria’s Presidency, no Yoruba woman has had the opportunity to occupy the seat of First Lady.
Titi, said this while canvassing votes for her husband during the party’s campaign rally in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital on Wednesday, 18th of January, 2023. Our fact-check shows that Nigeria has had at least three First Ladies from the Yoruba ethnic group in the last 59 years.
3. Charly Boy found sharing a plethora of false information to promote Obi’s candidacy
A close monitoring of the social media accounts of Nigerian music artiste, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, by The FactCheckHub shows that he used his social media platform, especially X, to share manipulated videos and photos to promote the presidential bid of the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi during the 2023 electioneering campaign. Our fact-check shows how he deliberately misinformed the public several times through false narratives and failed to heed when his attention was drawn to such.
4. Did law say a contestant for the House of reps seat must possess N70 million cash?
In February 2023, the then majority leader of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, claimed that the electoral law permits contestants for the House of Representatives seat to possess at least N70 million “in cash” to cover their expenses for the election.
Doguwa said this after a meeting with former President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja while expressing dissatisfaction over the scarcity of Naira notes. We checked the electoral law and contacted the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, our findings show that Doguwa’s claim was FALSE.
5. Olumide Oworu’s image taken out of context
An image showing Olumide Oworu, the Labour Party’s candidate for Lagos State House of Assembly in Surulere Constituency 1, with blood on his face and shirt surfaced online with a claim that it showed the moment after he was reportedly attacked by hoodlums in a part of the state. Our fact-check shows that the image has been online since October 2022 – more than five months before the reported incident.
6. Was INEC REC lynched in Adamawa?
Amidst the collation of results of the governorship supplementary election in Adamawa state, a video showing a lynched man inside a vehicle surfaced online with a claim that it shows the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Hudu Ari, who declared Aisha Dahiru, popularly called Binani, as the winner of the governorship election in the state. Our fact-check shows that the man in the video is not the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State but the INEC national commissioner and chairman, the board of the Electoral Institute, Abdullahi Abdul Zuru.
7. Is Ireti Kingibe the first female elected senator of FCT?
Following her emergence as the winner of the senatorial seat for the FCT in the National Assembly election held on February 25, 2023, a claim that Ireti Kingibe is the first female senator to be elected in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into Nigeria’s National Assembly (NASS) circulated online. Our fact-check shows that Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe had previously held the position of the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2003, over two decades before Kingibe’s election.
8. Obi ready to work with Tinubu?
After the conclusion of the 2023 presidential election, a photo showing Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party having a conversation with Seyi Tinubu surfaced online.
The photo was circulated alongside a claim that Obi had given up on his election-related court case and agreed to work with Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Our fact-check shows that the image was photoshopped.
READ ALSO : Akpabio repeats false claim about Lagos IGR under Tinubu
9. Photoshopped image of Tinubu and Obi
Following the 2023 general election, another photo showing the 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi and President-elect Bola Tinubu with speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote and the governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-olu, was circulated on social media. Our fact-check shows that the image has been manipulated and Peter Obi was not in the picture.
10. Claim that Atiku was retiring from Politics
After Nigeria’s 2023 general election, a claim that Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was retiring from politics and promised to join hands with others to support the nation’s president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu circulated online. Our fact-check shows that the claim was FALSE.
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.
