News reports, published in May 2019, are making the rounds on social media, especially WhatsApp, claiming Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, said he cannot be the running mate to Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the report, El-Rufai was quoted to have referred to Tinubu as a drug baron and the most corrupt Nigerian.
The headline made the rounds on the internet when Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state, allegedly tipped El-Rufai as his running mate for the Presidency in 2023.
Why is this 2019 report trending in 2023?
In the last two weeks, El-Rufai has been around the media, defending the position of Tinubu on the naira redesign. The Kaduna state governor, who is supporting Tinubu for president, has been to TVC, Channels TV, Arise News, BBC Hausa, to promote the same message.
Following El-Rufai’s opposition to the naira redesign, members of the opposition parties began sharing the old claim to say the governor who opposed Tinubu in 2019 is now supporting the same man for president.
Did El-Rufai actually say this? Here is what we found:
VERIFICATION:
Carrying out a thorough search of the news headline, no reputable online or traditional news media published such a story. However, about six different controversial online media published the same content of the report verbatim on May 11, 12, and 13, 2019.
The earliest publication was on May 10, 2019, as posted on Twitter by PDPVanguard, an account that is being monitored by CDD Election War Room for its propensity for disinformation.
The report published by these unverified news media below quoted one of El-Rufai’s aides who pleaded anonymity as he was not the official spokesman of the governor.
All the sources said the aide spoke exclusively with Daily Mail.
“Nigerians know who a drug baron is. Nigerians know who was arrested and convicted of drug peddling in the US some decades ago. The Executive Governor of Kaduna state cannot be a running mate to such a person,” the report read
We checked the digital footprint of Daily Mail to know if it’s an existing and reputable news platform. This led us to a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news website published in London, Daily Mail, founded in 1896.
Checking through all published articles by this news website, there was no publication on El-Rufai nor him saying he cannot be running mate to a drug baron, the most corrupt Nigerian.
We finally found that it was published by a Facebook Page notorious for sharing misinformation, Daily Mail Gist. The same copy from that page was republished via controversial websites.
Verdict:
No evidence to show that El-Rufai ever made such a statement. The story emanated from an opposition account to demarket the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu. The stories also quote a faceless aide of the governor of Kaduna.