Claim: Atiku got 25 per cent votes in 25 states
Verdict: False
Context: On February 26, 2023 a frontline campaigner for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reno Omokri, claimed that Atiku Abubakar won 25 percent of the votes cast in 25 states. Mr Omokri’s tweet generated thousands of reactions on Twitter. His tweet came when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially opened the National Collation Centre at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja. In his tweet, he said: “From our sources at INEC, Atiku is currently leading with 25% in 25 states. Out of 25 states, 6 are in the South-South and 19 in the northern states. Atiku has secured the mandatory 25% in the South and North.”
Verification: CDD fact checkers verified the claim and found that it was False. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, had earlier announced that voting will continue on that same day, Sunday, due to the late arrival of election materials in states.
Consequently, in the final results announced by the commission on Wednesday, March 1, Atiku only won 12 states and did not get 25 per cent spread in other states. Atiku won his home state of Adamawa as well as Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi, Kebbi and Osun states. Others were Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Gombe states. Also, he couldn’t get 25 per cent of the total votes cast in Anambra, Imo and Enugu, among others. As such, the claim by Mr Omokri was found to be false. According to the Electoral Act 2022, a president is expected to get 25 per cent of the total votes cast in 25 states. Where that requirement is not met, INEC will conduct a rerun to determine the winner.
Conclusion: As of that time, CDD fact-checked the claim and found it to be false, as INEC had not even announced the results of a single state at the collation centre.
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