CLAIM: Ganduje’s Plans to Scuttle Presidential Tribunal’s Verdict
CONTEXT: On May 20, 2023, Reno Omokri, an aide to Goodluck Jonathan, a former president of Nigeria, shared a tweet claiming that Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has admitted plans to scuttle the verdict of the Presidential Elections Petitions Court.
According to the reports in the leaked audio, Ganduje was heard discussing with Ibrahim Masari, who was a placeholder for the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima.
Omokri claimed that Ganduje was lamenting how the meeting between Kano former Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and President-elect, Bola Tinubu was held in France without him (Ganduje) being informed.
“That leaked audio between Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano, and Masari is so beautiful to listen to. It vindicates our administration. They admitted that they worked with Tinubu to undermine the Jonathan administration with propaganda about its corruption and that, in reality, Jonathan was not corrupt. I have been saying this for years.
“And they even admitted that they are trying to scuttle the case at the Presidential Election Petition Court. Wow! “I hope the U.S. Secretary of State is seeing the type of people he wants to work with. May God save Nigeria!,” Omokri said in his tweet.
The tweet has generated thousands of reactions on Twitter and has garnered over 30,000 views.
VERIFICATION: CDD fact-checkers listened to the audio, which was a phone conversation in Hausa between the Ganduje and Masari. Ganduje stated that the meeting between the President-elect and Kwankwaso was part of a grand plan to persuade Tinubu to intervene in quashing the tribunal case of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano, challenging the victory of Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party as governor-elect.
This is contrary to Omokri’s claim that Ganduje admitted to plans of manipulating the presidential election tribunal verdict where the victory of Tinubu is being challenged by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
“I received a security report that the meeting was part of a plan to scuttle the APC governorship case at the election petition tribunal,,” Ganduje said in the audio.
However, Masari argued that it was not within the powers of Tinubu to scuttle the election case.
“Yes, that game plan is there, but it is not within his purview, but your Excellency I’m pleading with you to be calm until you come around. Let’s not discuss this issue on the phone. You know how unsafe our conversation could be,” Masari further stated.
VERDICT: Misleading
Contrary to Omokri’s claim, the tribunal being referred to by Ganduje is that of governorship election and not the presidential election. As such the claim is misleading.
