On June 10, 2023, a Twitter user who is known to be an ardent supporter of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), claimed that the supporters of Bola Tinubu, the newly elected president, who on the previous day were not present outside the courthouse, were there on June 10, protesting.
The user claimed that their presence outside the court was unprecedented and triggered by the court’s agenda of the day, part of which was the adoption and viewing of the video evidence tendered by the Labour Party.
The tweet, at the time of filing this report, has garnered over 260,000 views, 2000 likes, and 1000 retweets.
Claim: Video evidence caused Tinubu’s supporters to protest outside the presidential election petition court.
Verification
The CDD Election War Room has been present at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) since the commencement of the hearing.
While the supporters and representatives of the parties involved in the election petition have been attending the proceedings, placard carrying supporters of Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), have consistently maintained a spot adjacent to the courthouse, where they gyrate and display all sorts of costumes amidst the presence of the security agents.
Contrary to the claim in the viral Twitter post, we can confirm that these placard carrying supporters were always present at their usual spot during hearing days — including on the 9th of June, which preceded the day that Labour Party was to tender video evidence in the court.
Verdict: Misleading
The claim that video evidence to be tendered by LP caused Tinubu’s supporters to protest outside the court is misleading. We can confirm that the placard carrying supporters have always been at the usual spot to show support for Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC, one of the respondents in the tribunal.
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