A news report regarding the Anambra State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s gubernatorial candidate’s alleged encounter with unknown gunmen in Abuja has been widely circulated online. The report has raised concerns about the forthcoming gubernatorial election scheduled for November 8, 2025, in the state.
In a social media post shared by a popular Abuja-based blogger, Abuja PR, on Instagram, it was claimed that the shooting incident resulted in the death of the Anambra PDP candidate, Jude Ezenwafor.
Part of the image in the Instagram reel posted on Sunday, July 20, 2025, read, “The tragic incident occurred in Wuse 2, where the shooting resulted in the death of Ezenwafor, who was the governorship candidate for the PDP in Anambra.”
The reel has garnered hundreds of likes and shares as of Monday, July 21, 2025, when it was retrieved from the platform.
CLAIM: Anambra PDP guber candidate, Jude Ezenwafor, was killed in an Abuja shooting incident on July 18, 2025
VERIFICATION
The CDD Election War Room investigated the claim to verify its accuracy, and here is what we found.
On Saturday, July 19, 2025, multiple reputable media outlets reported a shooting incident in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, where Jude Ezenwafor was said to have been attacked by unknown armed men.
As reported by TheCable, Punch, and Vanguard, Ezenwafor was attacked on Friday night, July 18, 2025, while on his way home from an appointment. He and two unidentified individuals reportedly sustained injuries and were receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital at the time of publication.
In a press statement issued by the PDP and shared on their X handle on July 20, the party described the shooting incident as an “assassination attempt” and a desperate effort by opposition forces “to prevent him (Ezenwafor) from participating in the coming (Anambra) poll.”
On April 8, 2025, Ezenwafor, an Abuja-based real estate developer, emerged as the PDP flagbearer after being unanimously endorsed by 853 delegates from the 21 local government chapters of the party in the state. The party’s primary was held at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka. He was reportedly the only aspirant who purchased the party’s ₦40 million nomination form for the election.
VERDICT: FALSE
The CDD War Room can confirm that the Anambra PDP candidate, Jude Ezenwafor, was not killed in the July 18 shooting incident that occurred in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja. Multiple reputable news outlets reported that he was injured and subsequently taken to an Abuja hospital for medical treatment.