An X (formerly Twitter) user claimed that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, alongside telecommunications service providers, intended to shut down and jam network services ahead of the FCT Area Council Elections. The post, which garnered over 70,000 interactions, suggested the shutdown was designed to demonstrate the impossibility of electronic transmission of election results.
Claim: FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and telecommunications providers planned to shut down network services ahead of the FCT Area Council Elections.
Verification
CDD War Room investigated the claim by checking the official portals and public statements of both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for any announcements or advisories relating to a planned network shutdown. None were found.
CDD War Room also monitored network availability from the time the post was uploaded through to election morning, testing services across MTN, Glo, and Airtel networks. No disruption or unavailability of internet services was recorded across any of the three networks during this period.
Additionally, no media report, official statement, or corroborating post from any other source was found to support the claim.
Verdict: False
CDD War Room found no evidence to support the claim. Neither INEC, the NCC, nor any telecommunications provider made any announcement of a planned network shutdown. Network services functioned normally from Friday, February 20, 2025, when the claim was made, through Saturday, February 21, 2025, election morning, across multiple providers.