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  • Overview of Key Issues in the Pre-Election Period for the June 18, 2022 Ekiti State Governorship Election (Pre-Election Press Statement)

    Overview of Key Issues in the Pre-Election Period for the June 18, 2022 Ekiti State Governorship Election (Pre-Election Press Statement)

    T
    he first of two off cycle governorship elections for 2022 will be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State, on June 18, 2022. The election is the seventh in the state since the return of the current democratic dispensation in 1999. Following a 2010 Court of Appeal verdict, which removed then Governor Segun Oni, and declared Dr. Kayode Fayemi the rightful winner of the 2007 governorship election, Ekiti became one of several states holding off cycle governorship elections. The June 18, 2022 Ekiti State gubernatorial election is the very first to be conducted under the amended Electoral Act, 2022.

    As voters in Ekiti State head to the polls for tomorrow’s governorship election, the contest is apparently shaping up to be a three horse race involving the ruling party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which has clearly emerged as a third force in the election. CDD observes that there are 16 political parties fielding candidates for the election. Only two candidates and seven deputy governorship candidates are women, just as the age range of the candidates indicate low participation of the youth.

    The CDD EAC will be closely observing the electoral process with the objective of collecting data to support evidence-based analysis of key aspects of the Ekiti State governorship election. The CDD EAC will also host a fake news hub for the purpose of tracking and countering fake news and misinformation as it affects the election.

    Pre-Election Observations

    Based on the observation of the CDD EAC in the pre-election period, the following are the key trends, which have underlined the process.

    CDD notes that the June 18, 2022 Ekiti State Governorship election is significant because it will serve as the first dress rehearsal as the INEC prepares for the 2023 general elections. The election will also be the first to be conducted under the Electoral Act, 2022, and the new INEC guidelines and regulations for conduct of elections. CDD EAC further notes that although INEC has made commitments to conduct a credible election in Ekiti State, its success in this regard would depend on its neutrality, professionalism and the level of its understanding and commitment to the new legal framework. The credibility of the process would also depend on how well INEC uses some of its new powers as derived from the extant electoral law, especially the power conferred on the Commission to delay the release of election results, if the Commission needs to take a second look.

    The CDD EAC is concerned about violence, money politics and violations of incumbency powers and the possible effects of these on the credibility of the election. CDD EAC notes that Ekiti State, has recorded several incidents of violence during previous elections. In the build up to the 2022 governorship election, pockets of election-related violence have been recorded in places like Ado Ekiti, Efon Alaiye, Oye, Ido/Osi and Oye Ekiti. Other observable issues, which would shape the credibility of the election include; how well INEC is able to effectively deploy technology, particularly the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), impartial security provisioning, the quality of results management, curtailing the role of money, incumbency and god fatherism in the election. Also critical is the need for stakeholders in the election to proactively track, and counter fake news and misinformation. Already, the pre-election period has witnessed the spread of fake news capable of undermining voter confidence and participation in the process. An example is the fake news which trended recently on a purported Appeal Court decision nullifying the primaries of one of the major political parties and, by extension, its candidate.

    In terms of some of the election risk factor, CDD notes that the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU) has crippled the local economy especially in university towns in Ekiti State. This has created a threat in terms of the availability of idle youth being recruited for activities, which could undermine the credibility of the election. By grounding the local economy, the strike has also created the wrong incentives as voters are more likely to see the election as an opportunity for economic survival, thereby exacerbating the risk of vote buying. This becomes even more relevant when it is considered that Ekiti State introduced the issue of “stomach infrastructure” into the Nigerian political lexicon. CDD has also observed that based on history of past violence in elections in the state, the following Local Government Areas, constitute potential flash points in the election; Ado Ekiti, Efon Alaiye, Ido/Osi, and Oye.

    Signed:

    Professor Adele Jinadu

    Chair, CDD EAC

  • FACT CHECK: Did Tsamani say he was under pressure to subvert justice?

    A broadcast message making the rounds on social media, particularly on WhatsApp, claims that Haruna Simon Tsamani, a justice of the Appeal court and the chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, asked the church to pray for him.

    The viral message, ascribed to one David Onibiyo, further claims that Tsamani said he was under pressure to subvert justice.

    Screenshot of the broadcast message on WhatsApp

    Claim: Tsamani said he was under pressure to subvert justice

    Verification

    The CDD Election War Room checked to verify the authenticity of the statement attributed to Tsamani. Although, no credible media outlet reported the story, we found a news article published by Daybreak , which stated that Tsamani called for prayers. 

    According to the report, Tsamani confided in his family members who told the church members allegedly spreading the news. 

    “The chairman reportedly made the assertion through family members after undue pressure but leaked to the public domain through church members,” part of the report read.

    We further searched for David Onibiyo who was mentioned in the viral message but could not unravel his identity.

    Verdict: No evidence

    The CDD Election War Room can confirm that there is no credible report stating that Tsamani said he was under pressure to subvert justice. The news blog that published the report only quoted unknown source, said to be members of Tsamani’s family members’ church. Similarly, there is no statement from the highly-revered judge or his office in relation to the WhatsApp story.

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  • FACT SHIELD: All you need to know about off-cycle elections in Nigeria

    FACT SHIELD: All you need to know about off-cycle elections in Nigeria

    Following the release of the timetable for off-cycle elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties and their political actors in Nigeria kicked off plans and activities for the elections. The off-cycle elections will take place in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi states.

    Subsequently, political parties held primary elections and presented their gubernatorial candidates to the public. Many people are unsure why 24 states held gubernatorial elections during the general election while eight others have separate gubernatorial election timetables. 

    What is an Off-cycle Election?

    Off-cycle elections in Nigeria refer to elections held outside the general election schedule. In Nigeria, the regular election cycle holds every four years, with general elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and state governors held in the same year. However, off-cycle elections are held when there is a need to fill a vacant position due to death, resignation, impeachment, or other reasons.

    Off-cycle elections are held on a different date from the general election. While the majority of states in the country elected their governors in the general election, not all states participated. These states are assigned a different timetable to elect their governors. In Nigeria, states participating in off-cycle elections include Bayelsa, Kogi, Anambra, Imo, Osun, Ondo, Edo and Ekiti. 

    Why do the states have a different election timetable? 

    At the return of democracy in 1999, every state of the federation was conducting its elections simultaneously until some candidates, displeased with the 2003 elections’ outcome, approached the court to reclaim their mandate. In separate rulings across the states where results were challenged, the election petition tribunal called for the removal of some governors and scheduled a fresh election in some states. This was how the off-cycle elections came to be. Their case is however not the same. Here is a breakdown of how the eight states became off-cycle election states. 

    Anambra state

    In 2003, Anambra laid a precedent that would change the country’s political narrative. That year, Peter Obi, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate, petitioned the tribunal to contest the result that had initially declared Chris Ngige of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of Anambra state’s governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The tribunal lasted for two years and the election was eventually annulled. Peter Obi was sworn-in in March 2006.

    Since then, Anambra has conducted its gubernatorial election in November 2013, November 2017, and November 2021 while the next election will take place by 2025. 

    Bayelsa state

    Bayelsa state began to conduct off-cycle elections in 2007, when Timipre Sylva of the PDP, was declared winner of the state’s governorship election. What led to disruption in the state’s electoral cycle was the court case instituted by Ebitimi Amgbare, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, who challenged the election outcome at the tribunal.

    Ebitimi Amgbare lost at the tribunal and approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the initial ruling. He won at the appellate court as the court ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in the state in 2008. The conduct of the new election disrupted the calendar, even though Sylva won the freshly conducted election and returned to office. The next governorship election in the state will take place later this year, on November 11, 2023, with Sylva back in the race as APC flagbearer.

    Edo state

    Edo state conducted its gubernatorial election alongside other states, during the general elections until 2007. After the April 14, 2007, gubernatorial election, Oserheimen Osunbor of the PDP was declared the winner of the Edo State governorship election. Dissatisfied with the result, Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), challenged the outcome in court.

    On March 20 2008, the Edo State election tribunal nullified the election of Oserheimen Osunbor and declared Oshiomhole the winner.

    Since then, the state began participating in off-cycle elections starting in July 2012. Others were conducted in September 2016, and September 2020 and the next one is scheduled to hold by 2024. 

    Ekiti state

    After the April 2007 gubernatorial election in Ekiti state, INEC declared Segun Oni, PDP’s candidate as the elected governor. Dissatisfied with the declaration by INEC, Kayode Fayemi, Oni’s main opponent and candidate of the ACN, approached the tribunal on the election result. By October 2010, after three years of being governor, the appellate court ruled in favour of Fayemi by dismissing Segun Oni’s victory and ordering the conduct of a fresh election.

    Subsequent governorship elections in the state have been held in 2014, 2018 and 2022. The next election is scheduled to hold by 2026. 

    Kogi state

    On April 14, 2007, Kogi state conducted its gubernatorial election and in the end, Ibrahim Idris was declared the winner. Idris was running for the second term while Abubakar Audu of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was an opponent. After Idris was declared winner, Audu petitioned the tribunal. He told the tribunal that his name had been wrongfully excluded from the list of candidates that were supposed to contest at the polls. He pursued the case till the Appeal court. 

    Although the election was nullified, calling for the conduct of a fresh election, Ibrahim Idris won the election. On March 29, 2008, he was re-elected as the Governor of Kogi State.

    Subsequently, the state held its off-cycle election in 2012, 2016, and 2020. The next governorship election in the state is scheduled to hold on November 11, 2023.

    Ondo state

    Ondo state’s tale is not different from other states where one of the contestants approached the court after the 2007 gubernatorial election. Olusegun Agagu, the incumbent governor and candidate of the PDP, sought re-election and won. The re-election was however challenged in court by Olusegun Mimiko, the then-candidate of the Labour Party.

    In 2009, the tribunal and the Court of Appeal acknowledged the election and ruled that Olusegun Mimiko was the actual winner of the polls. He was sworn in as the governor in February 2009. 

    Afterward, the state conducted elections in October 2012, November 2016, and October 2020. The next election would hold in 2024. 

    Osun state

    In 2007, INEC declared Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the PDP, as the winner of the Osun state gubernatorial election. Dissatisfied with the electoral process and declaration, Rauf Aregbesola, candidate of the ACN, challenged the election outcome in the tribunal. By 2010, after three years of legal battle, the appellate court eventually declared Rauf Aregesola as the duly elected governor of Osun state. The state has henceforth conducted its off-cycle elections in August 2014, September 2018, and July 2022. 

    Imo state

    Imo state joined the “off-cycle” elections pattern in 2019 when Hope Uzodinma of the APC, having come fourth in the gubernatorial election, challenged the victory of Emeka Ihedioha, the PDP candidate. 

    The legal tussle went from the election tribunal to the Supreme Court. On January 14, 2020, the supreme court declared Uzodimma the duly elected governor of the state, and was immediately sworn in. The state has not participated in any off-cycle election and is expected to conduct its first off-cycle election on November 11, 2023. 

    Conclusion

    Peter Obi’s case was unprecedented— as he spent three years (2003 to 2006) in court to reclaim his mandate. Thereafter, he got impeached, approached the court and was eventually reinstated. He won his reelection and governed Anambra state till the end of his tenure in March 2014. This signified that every candidate can approach the court, if not satisfied with the electoral umpire’s result. 

    At the end of the 2007 general elections, about six states approached the election tribunal to overturn the decision of the electoral umpire and called for fresh elections.  For the states where the opponents won in court, they went on to conduct fresh elections and eventually created the “off-cycle election” pattern. 

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  • FACT CHECK: Did European leaders shun, decline to meet with Bola Tinubu?

    A news report claiming that European leaders shunned and declined to meet with Bola Tinubu has circulated online.

    A verified Twitter user, @Dr_chazduke, shared the report on Sunday, May 14, 2023, with the caption, “BREAKING NEWS: Bola Tinubu Shunned by Europe’s Leaders, Decline To Meet With Him. No be Peter Obi or Obidients do this one- The world is watching.”  

    The post has since garnered over 370,000 views and over 3,000 retweets as of when it was retrieved from the microblogging platform. It was also posted by another Twitter user, @King_Inspires as seen here.

    This is coming after Tinubu, Nigeria’s president-elect, reportedly departed the country on a working visit to Europe ahead of his official swearing-in ceremony on May 29, 2023. 

    Tinubu’s aide, Tunde Rahaman, said in a statement that he would be meeting with investors and key business allies during the trip.

    Claim: European leaders shunned and declined to meet with Bola Tinubu

    Screenshot of one of the Twitter posts

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room traced the source of the purported “breaking news” to an online news website known as Telepublic. 

    Telepublic published the report on May 10, the same day Tinubu left Nigeria for Europe.

    Parts of the report read, “The reason for Europe’s leaders’ refusal to meet with Tinubu is not a secret. They all agree that his election was fraudulent and illegitimate, and hence they totally reject the idea of legitimizing him in any way. They believe that by meeting with Tinubu, they would be endorsing his rigged election and betraying the Nigerian people.”

    Further investigations, however, revealed that no credible or reputable news website reported the incident as of the time of this fact-check.

    We ran a check on Telepublic via Whois domain check and found that it is a newly created news site, registered on April 26, 2023, weeks after Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.

    Meanwhile, the international community including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and France, congratulated Tinubu and pledged partnership following his emergence at the February 25 presidential poll. This was reported here, here, and here.

    Verdict: FALSE

    The report is false with no evidence supporting the claim that European leaders shunned and declined to meet with Bola Tinubu. We found that no credible or reputable media platform reported the incident while the viral news report was traced to a newly created blog, registered in April 2023. 

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  • Fact Check: Old Picture Used to Depict Slow Progress of Zaria-Kano Highway

    Fact Check: Old Picture Used to Depict Slow Progress of Zaria-Kano Highway

    Claim: Over 40 percent of Zaria-Kano Highway not repaired.

    Verdict: False.

    Context:  A business mogul and medical practitioner recently tweeted that the federal government is yet to make significant progress on the Zaria-Kano section of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria- Kano Highway, stating that only 40 percent of the road is yet to be rehabilitated while using an image of the road to back up his , Shehu, who is also an activist and a government critic, in the tweet that was viewed over 300,000 times had 402 retweets; 237 quotes, 1,176 likes.

    The tweet read “ZARIA TO KANO ROAD. Whoever is claiming that Zaria to Kano Road will be completed & handed over before May 29 is an irresponsible deceitful dreamer. Far from being completed, over 40% of the road remains in a state of disrepair as at 3pm of 7th May, 2023. Devil is a liar”

    The tweet has drawn both condemnation and support.

    Background: The federal government awarded the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, on December 20, 2017. The project is yet to be completed six years after it was initially awarded at N155 billion but later increased to N797bn, an increment of N642bn.

    To make the 375km dual carriage road easy for construction as well as usage for commuters, it was divided into three zones of Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Zaria and Zaria-Kano.

    With the construction missing various deadlines announced by the government, the Minister of Works and Housing, Raji Fashola, recently announced that the present administration will only be able to complete two of the three sections.

    Fashola said the Kaduna-Zaria and Zaria-Kano, with a combined stretch of 210 kilometres, would be commissioned by the president before he leaves office.

    Verification: In the tweet, Shehu cast doubt on the present administration’s claim to complete and commission the Zaria-Kano section due to huge part of the road that is still going through repair works.

    He said just 60 percent work has been done, while other users this reporter spoke with believe the road has gone far beyond that.

    For instance, Hussaini Ahmed, who plied the road on Friday 12, said the work on the section has gone beyond 80 percent even though there are stretches of the road that is yet to be overlaid with asphalt.

    Ahmed said: “It is just three to four diversions that are still on the road, which signals that the other lane is yet to be completed. Apart from that, the entire stretch that is motorable has been laid with asphalt, which is the last work done on road repairs.”

    He said since the work was a rehabilitation of the existing pathway, all asphalt of the old road has been scraped with the remaining work being asphalt to be laid.

    Similarly, Isyaku Abdulhamid, who traveled on the road on May 9 corroborated the near completion of the road. He noted that the travelling time on the section has reduced.

    When the Director of Highways, North West Zone, at the Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Wasiu Taiwo, was contacted, he assured that work on the section would be completed before the present administration completes its tenure.

    But with the past experiences of the government missing previous deadlines, his statement would be held with a pinch of salt.

    When asked the percentage of work done in the Zaria to Kaduna Section, he said it is up to 90 percent completed.

    Old picture used to portray state of road. The picture that accompanied the tweet by Shehu is an old picture of the Kaduna-Zaria-Kano highway.

    A reverse image search revealed that the picture appeared on a media report by PRNigeria, an online publication. Though the report does not state the section of the road, the report was published in June 2021 which documented how lives were lost on the road due to its bad shape and delay in its completion.

    Conclusion:   Users of the roads who spoke to CDD fact-checkers said work on the section of the road has gone beyond 80 percent and with a reduced time of travelling due to the extent of repairs. Also, a google image search indicated that the picture used in the post first appeared in a report by PR Nigeria, an online publication.

  • FACT CHECK: Is Tinubu and his family entitled to unlimited medical benefits as the former governor of Lagos state?

    A Twitter user claimed that Bola Tinubu, being a former governor of Lagos state, is entitled to unlimited medical benefits under the ‘State Governors Pension Law of 2007’. 

    The Twitter user added that all members of Tinubu’s family, not just his immediate family, are also entitled to this privilege.

    ‘This means that everytime he flies abroad for “medical” reasons, the state is obliged by law to pay ALL his bills – including the cost of the flight and cost of “treatment”. Same applies to ALL members of his family, not just members of his nuclear family.’ He tweeted. 

    Bola Tinubu is a former governor of Lagos state and Nigeria’s president-elect. Since he declared to contest in the presidential election, there has been increased spotlight on his personality and concern about his health.

    Similarly, he has embarked on multiple trips to European countries for alleged medical treatment in disguise for working visits. He embarked on one of such visit few days ago having just returned from France last month.

    Verification:

    By virtue of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007), former governors and deputy governors in Lagos state, are entitled to certain benefits which range from housing, transport, furniture, health, etc. 

    As regards medical treatment, the Payment of Pension Law 2007 provides for free medical treatment for a governor and the deputy governor, and members of their immediate family, even after leaving office.

    This means that any former governor and deputy governor in Lagos state from 2007 till date would be entitled to free medical treatment by the state, including members of their immediate family.

    However, in November 2020, the Lagos state House of Assembly moved for the amendment of the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007). 

    Reasons given for such an amendment included the ‘present economic situation of the state.’ 

    According to a report by The Guardian , ‘Lagos State is grappling with financial burdens for which reason it had to review its 2020 budget downward by 21 per cent, particularly with its expected revenue dropping by 24 per cent.’

    In June 2021, the Lagos state House of Assembly amended the State Pension Law for former governors ( and other political office holders), reducing their benefits and emoluments by 50 per cent.

    Notable areas in which the new law made amendments included transport, and housing.

    Verdict: Misleading

    The claim that Tinubu and all members of his family are entitled to free medical treatment by the Lagos state government is misleading. 

    The Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension Law 2007) expressly stated that only the (former) governors/deputy governors and members of their immediate family are entitled to such benefit. 

    The provisions, therefore, exclude any person who’s not within the purview of the immediate family, namely spouses and children. 

    Extensive analysis of the amended provisions by the new pension law shows that the new law reduced benefits as regards transport, housing, with no reference to medical treatment.

    It would appear, therefore, that the new law maintained the paragraph on health benefits, which entitled only the governor/deputy governor and their immediate families to unlimited health treatment by the state. 

    To analyze the full details of the health benefit, as contained in the amended pension law, we reached out to the Lagos State House of Assembly via email. They however did not respond to the mail as at the time of this report.

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  • FACT CHECK: Did Bola Tinubu sign the self-accounting bill for Lagos legislature while he was governor?

    The former speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, in an interview on AriseTV, spoke about the zoning of key positions in the 10th Senate and issues about Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, as well as the expected relationship between Tinubu and the National Assembly.

    He said, “The issue of the self-accounting for the legislature, Bola Tinubu signed it to law as far back as year 2000 when he was barely a year in office.”

    Claim I: Did Bola Tinubu sign the Self-accounting bill for the legislature while he was governor of Lagos state?

    Verification

    The judiciary and the legislature have separate self-accounting bills. Both bills however specify that the two arms of government have their funds separated from the state government coffer. In 2000, the motion was moved for the Lagos State House of Assembly self-accounting bill and by February 5, 2001, the “Lagos State House of Assembly Self Accounting Law 2000” was assented to by Tinubu, the then governor of the state.

    Verdict: True

    Tinubu signed the self-accounting bill for the legislature in 2001, while he was the governor of Lagos state.

    Claim II: Did the Lagos State House of Assembly pass the Freedom of Information bill while Tinubu was governor?

    Still speaking with Arise correspondence, Kuforiji claimed that the Freedom of Information bill was passed in Lagos while Tinubu was governor.

    He said, “In fact, we then made even laws that the national assembly was struggling to make, under him (Tinubu). We made them in Lagos like the information bill, the freedom of information bill, while they were still battling with it in Abuja, we already got it settled it in Lagos.”

    Verification

    The struggle for the Nigerian freedom of information law officially began in 1993 when three interest groups; Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) started an open campaign for the enactment of the FOI Law. In 1994, a draft bill was produced and titled: Draft Access to Public Records and Official Information Act. In 1999, a revised draft was presented to the 4th National Assembly for ratification.

    However, in May 2011, after about 12 years, the FOI bill was passed by the National Assembly and accented by Goodluck Jonathan, the president at that time.

    While records showed that deliberation on the FOI bill started at the National Assembly in 1999, the same time Tinubu was governor of Lagos state, there is no evidence to show that the Lagos State House of Assembly deliberated or passed such law until 2011 when the federal government assented to the bill.

    Verdict: No Evidence

    Claim III:

    Adeyemi Ikuforiji said the Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) of Lagos state increased from N600 million to N50 billion when Tinubu was governor. This claim is false and misleading. Several individuals such as Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima have made similar claims in the past. 

    Verification and Verdict: The CDD Election War Room fact-checked the claims and made a report on the claims. Kindly read the full report here. 

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  • FACT CHECK: Peter Obi’s counsel at Election Tribunal also Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer?

    The preliminary hearing for Nigeria’s Presidential Election Petition Tribunal was held on May 8, 2023. As expected, rumours and claims began to spread on social media. One of them is this tweet from a Twitter user who claimed that the attorney for the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was the same attorney who defended Nnamdi Kanu, a political activist and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a secessionist group. 

    The verified Twitter user backed up his claim with a photo of Obi surrounded by five lawyers. We discovered that two of them are Mike Ozekhome and Yusuf Ali, alongside three other legal personalities.

    The tweet had been viewed about 400,000 times as of the time of this report and had been shared on other social media platforms. 

    screenshot of the Twitter post.

    Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed leader of IPOB, also tweeted a variation of the tweet, claiming that Mike Ozekhome was on Peter Obi’s legal team. 

    Claim: The lawyer on Peter Ob’s legal team is the same one who represented Nnamdi Kanu

    Verification

    Who represented Nnamdi Kanu in court? 

    Since his run-in with the Nigerian government, Nnamdi Kanu has had a string of legal representations.

    Mike Ozekhome was named to lead his delegation of legal practitioners in January 2022. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who is also on the team, is his legal counsel. 

    Is Mike Ozekhome representing Peter Obi at the Election Tribunal? 

    The election petition prepared by Obi’s legal team includes a list of the legal practitioners who represent the petitioner. Mike Ozekhome’s name does not appear on the list. 

    Screenshots from Peter Obi’s petition.

    We, however, found Ozekhome to be among the legal team of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was inaugurated in March 2023. His name was included in the petition submitted by the team.

    Screenshots from Atiku Abubakar’s petition.

    Further investigation revealed that Ozekhome and Atiku have had a clientele relationship since 2017. He is also currently representing the latter in the alleged money laundering case filed by Festus Keyamo. 

    Another senior lawyer found in the attached image to the tweet is Yusuf Ali, a member of Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s legal team.

    We found that the lead counsel to Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP), Onyechi Ikpeazu, has never represented Nnamdi Kanu or the IPOB secessionist group.

    Verdict: False

    The claim that Peter Obi’s lawyer is the same one defending Nnamdi Kanu is false.

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  • FACT CHECK: Does image show Peter Obi taking brotherly advice from Tinubu? 

    On May 9, 2023, Adamu Garba, a former presidential aspirant and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), posted a picture of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of APC and Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

    He posted the picture on his Twitter page with the caption:

     “Tinubu’s posture: No food for a lazy man like you Peter Obi, stop sleeping everywhere including at courts and airports, hero beer have overtaken your wakefulness, go for deliverance.

    What a lovely brotherly advice.”

    Claim: Picture shows Peter Obi receiving “brotherly advice” from Tinubu

    Verification:

    The CDD Election War Room fact-checked the claim and discovered that the picture has been doctored. Using a Google reverse image search, we found the original picture to be that of Yemi Osinbajo, the vice president of Nigeria, and Peter Obi. The duo met at the funeral service for the father of Duoye Diri, Bayelsa state’s governor on May 7, 2023. 

    This video shows that Peter Obi arrived at the event while other dignitaries such as Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, Yemi Osinbajo, Dolapo Osinbajo,  and Atiku Abubakar, were already seated. He, thereafter, went to their seat to exchange pleasantries. It was while exchanging pleasantries that this picture was taken and later edited to replace Osinbajo with Tinubu. 

    Verdict: 

    The claim is false while the image attached to the tweet has been doctored. The original image captures Yemi Osinbajo and Peter Obi exchanging pleasantries, not Obi taking brotherly advice from Bola Tinubu. 

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  • FACT CHECK: Did lawyer query judge over live broadcast of presidential election tribunal?


    A video claiming a lawyer was making an objection against the live broadcast of the Presidential Election Tribunal has circulated online.

    The video was circulated on Twitter on the same day the Presidential Tribunal held the inaugural sitting.

    In the 4 minutes and 20 seconds long footage, the lawyer could be heard saying, “The video-vising, the videoing and live streaming of the hearing at this stage. My Lord, it’s an objection…” 

    This is coming amidst the litigation that has trailed the outcome of Nigeria’s presidential election held on Saturday, February 25, 2023. 

    The Presidential Election Petition Court, on Monday, May 8, held an inaugural sitting over the suits filed by opposition parties to challenge the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the president-elect.

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, among others, have since called for the live broadcast of the proceedings of the Tribunal. 

    The viral video, initially posted on TikTok, was captioned “Live-streaming of the presidential election tribunal should be put to stop, lawyer said.”

    Screenshot of the video on Twitter

    CLAIM: Video shows a lawyer querying a judge in court over the live broadcast of the Presidential Election Tribunal

    Verification 

    The CDD Election War Room checked the viral footage to confirm the veracity of the claim attached to it.

    We found a longer version of the video, posted by a Tiktok user, @worldblogbyqueen, with the caption, “Justice Adrian Fisher Upheld A Public Trial As Dr. Samura Kamara’s Lawyers Argued Otherwise.”

    We further traced the full coverage of the court session to Youtube, which was uploaded by SN Radio on April 9, 2023. 

    More findings revealed that the court session was about the trial of Samura Kamara, the presidential candidate of Sierra Leone’s main opposition party, the All Peoples Congress (APC).

    Kamara, who has been facing trial since December 2021, was alleged to have embezzled public funds amounting to about 4.9 million US dollars.

    In the said video, we observed that Kamara’s counsel was asking the High Court judge not to give room for the live broadcast of the trial, as he argued that it might prejudice the case and affect the witnesses.

    VERDICT: FALSE 

    Findings revealed that the video was taken in Sierra Leone, and the court proceeding was about the trial of one of the country’s presidential candidates, Samura Kamara of the APC, who allegedly embezzled public funds.

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  • FACT CHECK: Did bill to regulate Christian preaching scale second reading at Nigerian Senate?

    FACT CHECK: Did bill to regulate Christian preaching scale second reading at Nigerian Senate?

    Over the weekend, a viral tweet with the claim that moves to regulate preaching by Christians, began making the rounds on social media.

    The Tweet which has over 700,000 interactions reads, “Nigerian Senate moves to regulate Christian preaching as bill scales second reading.”

    Claim: Bill to regulate Christian preaching passed second reading at the Nigerian Senate

    Verification 

    The CDD Election War Room checked the claim to verify its authenticity. 

    We found that the Nigerian Senate in the past week passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish an institution known as the ‘National Centre for Christian Education’.

    Binos Yaroe, a senator representing Adamawa South on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), sponsored the bill, which was supported by another PDP senator, Istifanus Gyang, representing Plateau North.

    Both Yaroe and Gyang are northern Christians, while the former is an ordained pastor at the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria.

    The bill seeks to “regulate and set standards” acceptable to the practice of Christianity in the country. The institution, when set up according to Yaroe, would develop a curriculum for Christian education.

    In 2016, Gyang also sponsored a bill seeking to create an appeal court to try cases pertaining to the Christian faith. The bill was passed for second reading at the House of Representatives.

    Verdict: MISLEADING

    The Twitter post claiming that a bill to regulate Christian preaching has scaled second reading is misleading. The bill put forward to the Senate was to establish a National Centre for Christian Education, and not to regulate Christain preaching.

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