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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: Labour Party did not replace Lagos guber candidate, Rhodes-Vivour

    FACT CHECK: Labour Party did not replace Lagos guber candidate, Rhodes-Vivour

    By Philip Clement

    A letter is currently circulating on social media alleging that Lagos State Chapter of the Labour Party (LP) replaced the governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

    The letter which was signed by Sam Okpala, secretary of the party in the state, identified Prof. Ifagbemi Awamaridi as the governorship candidate of the party.

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room checked the claim as well as the letter and found it to be false. Sam Okpala, the secretary of the Labour Party in Lagos state, said the letter did not emanate from him and should be totally disregarded.

    Meanwhile, while speaking with journalists shortly after casting his vote at polling unit 045 Oshifila Anifowoshe Ikeja, Rhodes-Vivour expressed confidence that he will win the election.

    He is contesting against the incumbent governor of the state and candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Babajide Sanwolu.

    Verdict

    CDD Election War Room can confirm that the letter in circulation is fake. The secretary of Labour Party in the state, Sam Okpala, to CDD to disregard the letter, stating that it didn’t emanate from him.

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  • FACT CHECK: INEC remove names of non-Yoruba from voters list in Lagos?

    FACT CHECK: INEC remove names of non-Yoruba from voters list in Lagos?

    By Hajara Hussaini

    A post has gone viral on Twitter and has been shared on WhatsApp suggesting that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos state has removed all non-Yoruba names from the voter list.

    The claim came in form of text and the author of the message claimed to be a lecturer at the University of Lagos as well as a collation officer for INEC in the state.

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room contacted our observers in Lagos, who confirmed that no such thing was done in the state. Persons with non-Yoruba names have voted in the March 18 election.

    In the past, some persons had called for the removal of REC in Lagos over a statement he made during an interview that was referred to a conspiracy against Democracy.

    However, Olusegun Agbaje, the INEC Lagos REC, said the electoral body did not remove the names of persons from the Southeast and Southsouth from the ad-hoc staff list or voter list for the governorship and house of assembly elections in the state.

    He described the allegation as fake news and came as a surprise to the commission when seen on social media and it is important to correct the accusation.

    Verdict

    CDD Election War Room confirmed that the claim making the rounds on social media is false. Olusegun Agbaje, INEC Resident Electoral Commission for the state had debunked a similar claim, only 48 hours earlier.

  • FACT CHECK: Is Tinubu in a critical condition, rushed to a hospital?

    FACT CHECK: Is Tinubu in a critical condition, rushed to a hospital?

    By Aishah Saleeman

    Multiple tweets making the rounds on Twitter claim that President-Elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu was rushed to the hospital at midnight and is unable to cast his vote for Lagos state governorship candidate Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    One version of the tweet claimed that Tinubu, who was referred to as “President select” “was rushed to the hospital by midnight,” and staff of the hospital were bribed to keep their mouth shut.

    Another tweet claimed “Tinubu was rushed on Monday night in an undisclosed hospital in VI. He was brought in with the car of the CEO of Eko Atlantic. The doctors stated that with his critical condition, he can’t be allowed to travel out of the country… I hope he’s okay now to vote Sanwo-Olu”

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room found no evidence to support the claims making the rounds. We also found that President-Elect Bola Tinubu came out to cast his vote for the gubernatorial and house of assembly polls alongside his wife on Saturday morning.

    Tinubu also posted images across his social media accounts, encouraging Nigerians to go out and vote peacefully.

    Verdict

    The evidence shows that Tinubu is not in critical condition at a hospital. The president-elect came out to cast his vote for the gubernatorial election at Alausa, Lagos.

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  • FACT CHECK: Is LP’s Olumide Oworu missing from INEC’s final list for State Assembly elections?

    FACT CHECK: Is LP’s Olumide Oworu missing from INEC’s final list for State Assembly elections?

    A Twitter user claimed hours before the election that Labour Party candidate for Surelere I constituency, Olumide Oworu, is missing on the final list of governorship and House of Assembly candidates.

    The tweet reads: “This guy is not even a candidate of LP in the forthcoming Gov & HoA elections oooooo because his name is not even on INEC list. Wonders shall never end.Who started the narrative?,”

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room obtained the final list of gubernatorial and house of assembly candidates as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and found out that his name is indeed missing.

    The name of the the candidate for Labour Party as published on the INEC list is Adebayo Bode aged 47.

    Refering to Labour Party, Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, said at a press briefing that the Labour Party had served “70 court processes… on nomination of candidates”.

    Yakubu said INEC will always obey court rulings, including the ones mandating it to accept candidates of the Labour Party in some states, including Lagos, after its final list had been published.

    In February 2023, long after the final list had been published, a court asked INEC to accept nominations from 24 states, including Lagos. It is however if Oworu is one of such candidates.

    Verdict: It is true that Oworu’s name is missing, it is however possible, that he is the party’s candidate in the Surulere I election, as a result of a court order in February, after INEC’s final list of candidates was published.

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  • FACT CHECK: Melaye makes false claims about arrest of Lagos APC killer squad on election day

    FACT CHECK: Melaye makes false claims about arrest of Lagos APC killer squad on election day

    Dino Melaye, the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, posted a video on Twitter on March 17, 2023, stating that security agencies apprehended a “killer squad” in Lagos.

    Melaye’s tweet was captioned: “Killer squad in Apc crested cars arrested today by security agencies in Lagos. O ga ooooo”

    Less than 24 hours after Melaye tweeted the video, it has garnered over 260,000 views and more than two thousand likes. 

    Claim: Dino Melaye makes false claims about the arrest of a Lagos APC killer squad on election day.

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room analysed the video and found that the plate tag is that of Teslim Kolawole Folarin, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State for the 2023 gubernatorial election.

    He is currently the senator representing Oyo Central senatorial district in the 9th National Assembly.

    Upon further investigation, On May 29, 2022, Sahara TV posted the video on their YouTube channel with the caption “Armed Thugs Arrested In Iseyin While Trying To Disrupt APC Oyo North Senatorial Primaries.”

    Also, Oyo Affairs, an independent news media with a main focus on Oyo state news, wrote a report on  May 29, 2022 on the arrest of thugs trying to disrupt APC primaries in Oyo state.

    Verdict

    Dino Melaye’s claim is false. CDD Election War Room found that the video is that of an incident that happened somewhere in Oyo state in May 2022 and not Lagos state as Melaye claims.

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  • FACT CHECK: No, the Olumale Eluku of Ikorodu did not announce commencement of Eluku Festival

    FACT CHECK: No, the Olumale Eluku of Ikorodu did not announce commencement of Eluku Festival

    During the week, a poster attributed to the Olumale Eluku of Ikorodu began making rounds online.

    The alleged poster warned residents especially non-indigenes of the Ikorodu, Lagos and its environs to be weary of the Ikorodu township due to her Eluku festival which was from March 17, 2023, till March 21, 2023, to avoid seeing the “annoyance of their ancestors”. 

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room checked the veracity of the claim by conducting several reverse image searches.

    We found that the poster image making rounds had appeared severally over the years with several edits.

    In 2017, a similar poster with Olumale of Eluku called Chief Nurudeen Kuti attributed as announcer warn non-indigenes of the area of the festival. 

    In 2018, another image with a distinct font colour attributed to the Adeyanju Olusoga family was also in the online media space. 

    By 2019, the poster had changed reflecting the name of a new Olumale of Eluku but bearing the same warning. 

    All posters analysed reflected the date of the festival as being in August except that of 2023. Also, this year’s poster also noted “original Yoruba’s” in contrast to “not original indigenes” and had the name of the 2019 Olumale of Eluku.

    The Olumale Eluku whose name appeared in 2019 and 2023, Chief, High Chief Razak Shodipo is dead. He died in 2021.

    The current Olumale High Chief Murisiku Olabanji OreAgba, however, debunked the viral report in a memo shared across media outlets and on social media.

    Verdict

    The poster image is false and has been debunked. The time period for the Eluku festival still remains August.

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  • FACT SHIELD: Ten commandments for avoiding election misinformation

    FACT SHIELD: Ten commandments for avoiding election misinformation

    Elections are here again, and if history is anything to go by, we are about to witness a flurry of misinformation and disinformation again. Political actors will take any opportunity you give them to lead you in a certain direction.

    To keep you inoculated from the information disorder we are about to witness in the next few days, CDD Election War Room is sharing these 10 commandments for reducing and avoiding “fake news” in this election.

    1. Thou shall not trust party spokespersons: Based on our experience with elections, which is a lot, party spokespersons are more likely to tell a lie, or half-truths than they are, to tell the truth. So listen to party spokespersons with a lot of caution. Their job is to get you to believe in the candidate, and they would do just that in any way possible. Don’t be the pawn in their game.
    2. You shall have yourself an independent mind: On social media today, herd mentality is the fad. A good number of people think in a certain direction. Do not be one of them; express independence of thought, the herd could be wrong. Independently come to your own conclusions after considering all sides.
    3. You shall not make for yourself a golden idol of bias: In our experience, we have seen that people will believe anything if it favours their political idols. For many Nigerians, Peter Obi can never be wrong. For some, President Muhammadu Buhari is the idol. For many others, it is Jagaban or nothing. This is part of what we refer to as cognitive bias. If you can conquer this and check your own bias, you will not likely fall for misinformation.
    4. Thou shall check multiple credible sources for confirmation: Nigeria is often an unbelievable country; political events that you consider impossible actually happen. One way to stay safe is to check multiple credible sources. This could include newspapers, TV stations, and Civil Society Organisations.
    5. Thou shall not hit share without verification: Sharing is caring, only when you’re sharing the truth. When sharing false information, you endanger the lives of your loved ones and wrongly influence their decisions. Before sharing any information, or retweeting that claim, please verify.
    6. Thou shall seek legal interpretations of statutes from lawyers and not random social media users: When legal issues come up in the election you are interested in, people share their views online. Many of these ‘legal’ views are not accurate and are being put forward by social media users who have no knowledge, experience, or expertise in the law. We advise that you seek legal interpretation from actual lawyers with expertise and experience in elections.
    7. Thou shall read beyond the headline before sharing news: Sadly, we are at a time when sensationalism is rife on social media, hence, the headline of a story can be without the necessary context for understanding the story. To be well-informed, please read the full story before coming to a conclusion or sharing.
    8. Thou shall understand the political preference of who is sharing: One sure way of getting more context about a post, is knowing the political preference of the account sharing the story. For instance, if an APC supporter shares information about Peter Obi of the Labour Party, that piece of information may not be with prejudice. If an APC supporter shares information about Bola Tinubu, the post may be exaggerated or skewed to favour Tinubu.
    9. Thou shall not commit adulteration of fact: Now, you have done your research, that great. You now know the facts, but it does not favour your political party or the movement you support. We advise that you take the facts for what they are, and avoid the temptation to twist the facts to drive your personal political points.
    10. Thou shall follow trusted and credible sources for updates: Like it is in medicine, so it is in information disorder; prevention is better than cure. The best way to stay ahead of the misinformation is to be well informed. This can be done easily by naturally following multiple credible sources of information.

    May the facts be with you, and your political preferences.

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  • FACT CHECK: Is Hakeem Odumosu, former commissioner of Police, a member APC campaign council?

    FACT CHECK: Is Hakeem Odumosu, former commissioner of Police, a member APC campaign council?

    On March 16, 2023, a Twitter user claimed that “MC Oluomo is the Boss of the former commissioner of police in Lagos state?”

    “Rtd AIG Hakeem Odumosu. The man who sent the police to finish off the remnants of Lekki massacre victims. Do you know that the former commissioner is in APC campaign Council for Lagos State?”

    The tweet has multiple claims, all checked by CDD Election War Room below:

    Claim I: 

    Is MC Oluomo the boss of the former commissioner of police in Lagos state?

    Verification:

    On April 7, 2022, the Lagos state government set up the Parks Management Committee to oversee the affairs of all motor parks and garages in the state.

    While announcing the newly constituted committee, the commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotosho announced Hakeem Odumosu as the Government Liason Officer while Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo will serve as the chairman of the newly constituted Parks Management Committee.

    The committee has 25 other members. In the hierarchy of this committee, Hakeem Odumosu comes ahead of MC Oluomo. 

    Verdict:

    The claim that MC Oluomo is the boss of Hakeem Odumosu is false. 

    Claim II:

    Is Hakeem Odumosu, the former commissioner of police in the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council for Lagos state? 

    Verification:

    The CDD Election War Room found that on November 4, 2022, Lagos APC inaugurated its 163-man campaign council. We found that the retired commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, is a member of the Lagos APC Campaign Council. He was appointed a member of the State Election Management Committee. 

    Similarly, we found that the former commissioner of Police in Lagos retired as an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) after spending 32 years in the Nigerian Police Force and attaining the age of 60 years on January 25, 2022.

    Since his retirement, he has ventured into active politics. On January 4, 2023, he attended meetings alongside members of the APC PCC Security and Intelligence Committee.

    The members of the committee include retired service chiefs such as General Jubril Abdulmalik, former Chief of Defence Staff; General Abayomi Olorunisakin, and former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai.

    Verdict:

    The claim that the former commissioner of Police in Lagos state is in the APC Campaign Council for Lagos State is TRUE. 

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  • FACT CHECK: Does this video show MC Oluomo threatening Igbos in Lagos?

    FACT CHECK: Does this video show MC Oluomo threatening Igbos in Lagos?

    Ahead of the gubernatorial and state houses of assembly elections, a video making the rounds on social media claims to show Musiliu Akinsanya, also known as MC Oluomo, threatening Igbo voters in Lagos. 

    The video, which appears to be a screen recording a live video, shows MC Olumo speaking to a crowd of cheering audience packed in a hall. 

    MC Oluomo, who spoke in both Yoruba language and English, was heard saying “We’ve begged them to vote for us, please it is not a fight. Go to them and tell them Iya Chukwudi– please if you don’t want to vote for us, please stay at home o…”

    MC Oluomo is the Chairman of the Lagos Parks Management Committee and a well-known supporter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and has publicly declared his support for the same on different occasions. 

    Background

    Verbal ethnic strife, especially on social media, has erupted in Lagos state since Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, won the majority votes in Lagos state in the February 25 presidential election. 

    Obi swept the majority votes against the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos and a Yoruba man. Lagos, being a predominantly Yoruba-speaking state, Obi’s victory surprised some Yorubas in the state who claimed to be the ‘original’ inhabitants of the state. 

    Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC, is seeking re-election for the second term, against Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who’s born of an Igbo mother and a Yoruba father. 

    It has also been claimed that Rhodes-Vivour’s Yoruba language is not fluent, with the APC claiming he is not fit to be Lagos state governor.

    Verification

    The CDD Election War Room checked this claim and found the video to be true. The War Room can confirm that the video surfaced on Thursday, March 16, when MC Oluomo addressed APC supporters in Lagos. 

    In this longer version of the video, MC Oluomo could be heard saying, “It’s not a fight, it’s not chaos, we need our PVCs. We the Yorubas should go there early. All Yorubas should vote first. After voting let’s wait and observe. We’ve begged them and they said they agreed. Once you notice there’s a mistake and you’re leading, you understand…”

    Oluomo had also condemned the Igbos in Lagos state. He stated, amongst other things, that if any of them become governor, they would use the offspring of the Yorubas for ritual purposes.

    Lagos State Police Command said they are investigating the claim. But Oluomo has since come forward to say the video was a joke, and he was talking to ‘Iya Chkwudi,’ who sells to him.

    Verdict: The claim that MC Oluomo threatened Igbo voters is true. CDD War Room found out that MC Oluomo addressed APC supporters in Lagos state, and in what would pass as a subtle threat, asked Igbo voters planning to vote for other parties to stay at home. 

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  • FACT CHECK: Did US ask INEC to prove election results are credible as Charly Boy claims?

    FACT CHECK: Did US ask INEC to prove election results are credible as Charly Boy claims?

    Nigerians at home and abroad have reacted in different ways to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) pronouncement which declared Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25, 2023 election.

    Multiple parties, including the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are contesting the elections through laid-out legal means.

    On March 15, 2023, singer and songwriter Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, tweeted a video claiming that the US has asked INEC to prove that the results declared are correct.

    A screenshot of Charly Boy’s tweet

    CDD Election War Room checked this claim and here is what we found.

    Verification

    CDD Election War Room watched the two minutes and 20 seconds video posted by Charly Boy and found that the speaker in the video was genuinely discrediting INEC and asking INEC to prove itself and prove that the results it declared were actually real.

    The speaker in the video made several allegations against INEC.

    We traced the video to its source, which happens to be a YouTube page named NADECO, and had just two videos as of March 17, 2023; the fuller version of the short clip posted by Charly Boy and another one showing women protesting at Port-Harcourt.

    We checked the page history and found the page was created on March 13, 2023, two weeks after the presidential election.

    The screenshot below shows the information on the date the YouTube channel was created.

    The YouTube account was created two weeks after the election

    The video description has the name Lyod Ukwu as the executive director, and Bruce Delvalle as the general counsel. The description also includes Info@nadecousa.com; nadecoamerica@gmail.com and nadecousa.com as the contact details and website address respectively.

    CDD Election War Room analysed the website nadecousa.com and found it was created on August 17, 2021, with the registrant name as JohnBull Igwe.

    JohnBull also has a YouTube page with a few of Llyod Ukwu’s NADECO videos. We also checked nadecousa.com and found the same Loyd Ukwu’s NADECO videos on the website with some NADECO publications.

    NADECO VS NADECO

    On March 9, 2023, Dele Alake, the special adviser on media to the president-elect, described Lloyd Ukwu as a NADECO imposter for organising a press conference to discredit the just-concluded presidential election. 

    Again, on March 9, 2023,  a former Secretary General of (NADECO), Ayo Opadokun, stated that the coalition has no existing branch in the United States.

    Opadokun blasted the said Ukwu for using NADECO to push a “pernicious, narrow ethnic supremacist agenda.”

    Opadokun said NADECO ceased having branches abroad when it resolved at the global conference of the organization presided over by its then leader, Anthony Enahoro, in Virginia, US sometime 1999.

    However, a former head of the defunct National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, in North America, Ralph Obioha, has dismissed the claim by Dele Alake.

    Obioha described Alake’s remark against Ukwu as nefarious and a diatribe, stating that Llyod Ukwu was not an impostor.

    Although the US branch of the defunct pro-democracy group had distanced itself from Ukwu’s activities.

    However, Obioha insisted that Ukwu had the right to his political opinion, stating that Ukwu was a pillar of NADECO when the body was active, contrary to Alake’s claim.

    Has the US asked INEC to verify results?

    On March 1, 2023, the US congratulated Tinubu on winning the just-concluded presidential election.

    The message is contained in a States Department press briefing by Ned Price, and at no point in the briefing did the US ask INEC to prove the results declared are correct.

    NADECO USA does not speak for the government of the United States.

    Verdict

    The video posted by Charly Boy is a video from a NADECO group asking INEC to prove that the results declared are correct, not the US government; the US government already congratulated Bola Tinubu as the president-elect.

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