Claim: Obasanjo storms National Collation Centre with results of 36 states.
Verdict: False
Context: Social media went agog on Sunday, 26th February with the news that former president Olusegun Obasanjo, showed up at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre in Abuja with original result sheets of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The post, which went viral, especially on WhatsApp reads, ‘Breaking News: Obasanjo storms INEC collection centre in Abuja with the real results of all the 36 states and FCT. INEC chairman was in shock when Obasanjo showed up in Abuja INEC with 2023 original result sheets for all states…”
The post was accompanied by different images, including those of the governor of Oyo State, Mr Seyi Makinde, and the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu.
Verification: Fact-checkers at the Centre for Democracy & Development subjected one of the pictures to a Google reverse image search, which showed that it had been in existence since January 2020, when Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo State, visited Obasanjo at his Abeokuta residence. Also, another picture of the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, accompanying the post was taken in 2019, during a pre-election press conference.
Daily Trust was fully on ground at the collation Centre and didn’t see the former president at the collation venue from the beginning to the end of the entire exercise, where Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was announced as the winner.
Conclusion: Based on investigations by the fact-checkers at the Centre for Democracy & Development, the claim that the former president Olusegun Obasanjo, showed up at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation Centre in Abuja with original result sheets of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory is false and misleading.
Leave a Reply