An image circulating on social media claims to show the results of the 2024 Ondo governorship election, allegedly sourced from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Results Viewing Portal (IReV). The post asserts that these are the election results as of 10:10 pm on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
Verification
The CDD War Room investigated the claim to verify the image’s authenticity. The image in question presents a table of results, purportedly showing the votes scored by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP) across all 18 local government areas of Ondo State.
At the time the image began circulating, the collation of results had not yet begun at the State Collation Centre. The process of announcing results by local government areas only commenced after midnight, well past the time the image was being shared.
Additionally, the IReV interface, which is designed to display results as they are uploaded from polling units, does not feature the result summary table shown in the viral image. Instead, the IReV portal only includes individual result sheets from polling units, without aggregating data into a comprehensive summary table for local government areas.
Upon comparing the figures in the viral image with those declared by INEC, the figures did not align with the official results announced during the collation process. This discrepancy further raises doubts about the authenticity of the viral image.
It is also important to note that the circulation of fake or unverified election results is a common disinformation tactic used to manipulate public perception and create early narratives of victory, often before official results are announced. This is a tactic highlighted in our previous analysis of disinformation strategies used in Nigerian elections. Also in this factshield, we explained ways to avoid falling for fabricated election results.
Verdict: FALSE
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