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How CDD Election War Room tackled ‘fake news’ during elections

CDD Election War Room

Compiled by Valeria Ogide and Felix Tola-Winjobi

With the 2023 general election in Nigeria coming to an end, the CDD Election War Room looks back on what has been a very misinformation-heavy election.

In the last three months, the War Room has published more than 100 fact checks in an attempt to moderate the information ecosystem.

This report highlights a majority of our fact-checks, verification and verdict.

  1. FACT CHECK: Peter Obi begging Nigerians to vote for Atiku?

CLAIM: Does this video show Peter Obi begging Nigerians to vote for Atiku in 2023?

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room discovered the original video was uploaded in January 2019, when Obi was on the same ticket as Atiku Abubakar. It was not shot in 2022 as Melaye would have Nigerians believe. 

  1. FACT CHECK: Again, Tinubu Makes False Claims About Lagos IGR

CLAIM: APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu claimed he took Lagos state IGR from 600 million to 5 billion in a month.

VERDICT: False

Data from the Central Bank statistical bulletin, as quoted by the Research Academy of Social Science showed that Lagos generated N14.6 billion in 1999. This amounts to an average of N1.22 billion monthly.

  1. FACT CHECK: Atiku received N100m from Dariye?

CLAIM: Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has been accused by Mike Achimugu, who claims to be his former media aide, of being part of a continuous ploy to defraud the nation.

VERDICT: ALL WE KNOW

The claim by Melaye that Achimugu was not a media aide to Atiku is false. It is however important to note that Achimugu has since fallen out with Atiku, and may have some motive to speak against the former vice president.

  1. FACT CHECK: Fani-Kayode claims Peter Obi discriminated against Pentecostal Christians.

CLAIM: Femi Fani Kayode has made multiple false claims about Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, ahead of the February 2023 general elections.

VERDICT: False and Misleading

  1. FACT CHECK: Shettima is sick and unfit?

CLAIM: A Twitter user with the name tweeted that “the vice presidential candidate of the APC has confirmed that he’s sick and unfit as the Nigeria elections approaches.”

VERDICT: Misleading

A misleading interpretation of what Shettima said in the interview. While he admitted to being diabetic, he did not say nor confirm that he is “sick and unfit” to run for office.

  1. FACT-CHECK: Tinubu says Nigeria does not have Lithium and gas.

CLAIM: Bola Tinubu, said during his presidential campaign rally in Enugu state on January 11, that Nigeria does not have lithium or natural gas.

VERDICT: False

Multiple credible sources confirm that Nigeria is rich in lithium and natural gas. Therefore, Tinubu’s claims are false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did PDP pay N95m for the campaign venue in Rivers?

CLAIM: PDP paid N95 million for a campaign venue in Rivers

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found out that the claim is misleading as the N95m is a lump sum paid for 19 different campaign venues and not a single venue.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Obi sponsor the first black female to perform a heart surgery

CLAIM: A Twitter user tweeted “Chiamaka a 20 years old Igbo girl that Peter Obi sends to England on free scholarship grand(sic), has become the first black girl to transplant a heart into another human in 30 minutes.”

VERDICT: False

Peter Obi did not sponsor a doctor named Chiamaka that carried out a heart transplant in 30 minutes. Plus, it is impossible to perform a heart transplant in under 30 minutes.

  1. FACT CHECK: Verifying Peter Obi’s claims at the People’s Town Hall

CLAIM:

Peter Obi, made multiple controversial claims at a town hall meeting held by Channels Television on January 8, 2023. Obi made these claims while speaking extensively on major issues and challenges faced by various sectors of the country.

VERDICT: Partly True

  1. FACT CHECK: How true are Omoyele Sowore’s claims about the Nigerian economy?

CLAIM:

Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate for African Action Congress (AAC) appeared on the Arise news The Morning Show. He made some claims with respect to Nigeria’s debts and investments

VERDICT: Partly True

  1. FACT CHECK: Does INEC have plans to cancel or postpone elections?

CLAIM: 

Multiple newspapers reported that INEC said it will cancel or postpone the upcoming 2023 general elections.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found out that INEC never set to postpone or cancel the upcoming general election. The commission, the federal government, and the security agencies in the country have assured Nigerians that there will be no cancellation or postponement.

  1. FACT CHECK: How true are Saraki’s claims about Buhari’s government?

CLAIM:

Bukola Saraki, a former president of the senate and a PDP stalwart, has made multiple claims about the economy and the state of the nation under President Muhammadu Buhari.

VERDICT: True and False

  1. FACT CHECK: Was Atiku head of the Economic Management Team as vice president?

CLAIM:

Atiku Abubakar, tweeted on January 17, 2023, that he was the head of the economic management team while he was vice president.

VERDICT: False

Atiku Abubakar was indeed the head of the National Economic Council, as mandated by the constitution. However, President Olusegun Obasanjo set up an Economic Management Team which he chaired but was led by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Atiku’s claim that he led the Economic Management Team is false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is this a real voter card with the image of a boy?

CLAIM:

An image of a voter card with the face of a child and the details of an adult has been making the rounds on social media, alongside claims that it shows a child voter, and could possibly compromise the integrity of the 2023 elections.

VERDICT: All We Know

CDD Election War Room check on the INEC portal shows that the voter card exists, but forensic analysis of the image suggests that the image of the boy could have possibly been manipulated after the voter card was received.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did the Sultan of Sokoto endorse Peter Obi for president?

CLAIM:

A statement attributed to Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, has gone viral on social media, claiming the monarch endorsed Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room has found this to be false. Bashir Adefaka, Sultan’s media aide, debunked the statement here and here.

  1. FACT CHECK: How true are Shettima’s claims about Lagos economy and Nigeria’s military spending?

            Claim I: Is Lagos the fifth largest economy in Africa?

         Claim II: Shettima claimed that at the end of the civil war there were 500,000   Nigerian soldiers, and a national population of  55.78 million. He also stated that about $660 million was spent on security. 

         CLAIM III:  What is the strength of the Nigerian military?

           VERDICT: False,True and False 

  1. FACT CHECK:Has Sanusi made claims about Tinubu’s health as Charly Boy posted?

            CLAIM: 

            Charles Oputa, also known as Charly boy or Area Fada, tweeted a screenshot on January 19, 2023, of a post purportedly containing a statement from Sanusi Lamido, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

             VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found no evidence to show Sanusi made the claims shared by Charly Boy. Sanusi’s chief of staff has distanced his principal from such social media posts.

  1. FACT CHECK: Verifying Kwankwaso’s claims at Chatham House

            CLAIM: 

           The Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), on January 17, 2023, made multiple claims about his performance as a state governor before an audience at Chatham House.

               VERDICT: False and Partly correct

  1. FACT CHECK: Verifying Obi’s claims at Chatham House

            CLAIM: 

            Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, presented his policy plans at Chatham House on January 17, 2023. During the question and answer session, he made various claims about his track record and the Nigerian economy.

             VERDICT: TRUE, INACCURATE, TRUE AND LARGELY TRUE

  1. FACT CHECK: Did El-Zakzaky endorse Peter Obi for president?

            CLAIM: 

A Twitter user tweeted a claim that the revered Islamic cleric and leader of the Islamic  Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, had endorsed Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi for Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. 

VERDICT: False

The claim that Sheikh El-Zakzaky endorsed Peter Obi is false. The IMN has since debunked the claim. The Twitter account has a record of misleading citizens in a bid to favour the candidate of the Labour Party.

  1. FACT CHECK: Verifying Tinubu’s claims on security situation in Nigeria since 2015

CLAIM:

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, made some controversial claims while comparing the state of Nigeria’s security during the Goodluck Jonathan administration and under the Muhammadu Buhari government.

VERDICT: All We Know

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Godwin Emefiele call out DSS DG for a fight?

            CLAIM: 

            The governor of the Central Bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has called out the Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr Yusuf Bichi, to a fight.

               VERDICT: False

 Following verification by Daily Trust, it has been established that the video in circulation is False and Misleading as the CBN governor did not at any point in time call the DSS DG out for a fight.

  1. FACT CHECK:Claim that Kwankwaso is an academic fraud

           CLAIM: 

A Twitter user tweeted that Rabiu Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the ANPP, is an academic fraud. This tweet came after Kwankwaso’s appearance at the Chatham House, where he declared himself a Ph.D. holder and not a trader.

           VERDICT:False

Kwankwaso is the recipient of both an academic and an honorary degree from Sharda University in India. Therefore, the claim that Kwankwaso is an academic fraud is false. 

  1. FACT CHECK:Are you eligible to vote without PVC?

            CLAIM: 

A message going viral on WhatsApp has given the impression that citizens can vote without their permanent voter’s card (PVC).

VERDICT:False

     CDD Election War Room can confirm that the statement is False – Citizens can NOT vote without their PVC

  1. FACT CHECK:Is this Peter Obi eating Isiewu with “Biafra beer”?

            CLAIM:

Adamu Garba, a former presidential aspirant and member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday, January 26, 2023, posted a picture of Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate, eating a Nigerian delicacy alongside two bottles of Hero beer.

       VERDICT: False

         Adamu Garba’s post does not show Peter Obi eating Isiewu with bottles of Hero Beer; the original image was manipulated to push a certain narrative about the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.

  1. FACT CHECK:How true are Naja’atu Muhammad’s claims about Buhari, Shettima?

          CLAIM: “Kabiru Sokoto was one of the most wanted terrorists, and he was found and arrested in his (Shettima) house.”

           President “Muhammad Buhari since 2003 was getting 15 million votes but couldn’t be the President.” 

           VERDICT: True & False

        CDD Election War Room found that the  first claim is true, Sokoto was indeed arrested in Asokoro at the governor’s lodge.

         Muhammad’s claim about Buhari getting 15 million votes and losing elections is false. Everytime Buhari got more than 15 million votes, he won the elections in question.

  1. FACT CHECK:Verifying Tinubu’s claims on security situation in Nigeria since 2015

            CLAIMS: Here are the claims Tinubu made:

  1. Before 2015, during Jonathan’s regime, 17 local governments and about four states had flags of foreign Jihadists in Nigeria. That is no more. That is long gone
  2. Security problem has reduced
  3.  Buhari has degraded but not eliminated ISWAP

VERDICT: ALL WE KNOW

According to both the GTI and NST data, the number of fatalities as well as the impact of terrorism in the country has reduced. In contrast to 2015, when terrorism was primarily contained in a single region, most regions of the country today is dealing with one security challenge or the other. Though Boko Haram has been tamed, insecurity has heightened with banditry, secessionist violence, and kidnapping amongst others rapidly spreading all through the nation.

  1. FACT CHECK:Did Tinubu say Lagos is a refuse dump?

             CLAIM: 

Twitter handle posted a video claiming that Bola Tinubu, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, called “the Lagos he built refuse dump”.

 VERDICT: FALSE

The claim is false and misleading. Bola Tinubu did not refer to Lagos as a dump site. The longer version of the video shows that he was referring to the building where the business lunch was held, which was previously regarded as a coastal dumpsite.

  1. FACT CHECK:Does video show attack on man wearing Peter Obi’s campaign T-shirt?

             CLAIM: 

             A media outlet Sahara Reporters posted a video, showing “unknown gunmen” attacking a man wearing a black shirt.

            VERDICT: The caption by Sahara Reporters’ is false. The video does not show an attack on a man wearing Peter Obi’s campaign T-shirt.

  1. FACT CHECK: Do these images show trucks carrying old naira notes from Tinubu’s house?

           CLAIM: A number of posts making the rounds on social media claim that trucks loaded with 40-foot containers were seen taking old naira notes from Bola Tinubu’s house to the bank.

              VERDICT: FALSE & MALICIOUS 

           The claims by both ‘Daily Trust Hausa’ and ‘Vanguard Hausa’ are false and malicious. The images do not show trucks carrying old naira notes from Tinubu’s house.

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  1. FACT CHECK: Did INEC chairman say fuel queues are putting elections at risk?

             CLAIM: 

            Multiple social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter claim that the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said fuel scarcity is putting the election at risk.

          VERDICT: FALSE

          The statement ascribed to the INEC chairman is false. 

  1. FACT CHECK: Was there no fuel scarcity in the last 7 years as APC youth leader claimed? 

           CLAIM: 

             There was no fuel scarcity in the last 7 years

            VERDICT: FALSE

     Findings by Daily Trust showed that Nigeria had experienced fuel scarcity during the        Christmas period in the last seven years. Thus, the claim by the APC national youth leader is false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Was Nigeria’s inflation rate highest under Obasanjo?

             CLAIM:

            The highest inflation rate in the history of Nigeria was recorded under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

            VERDICT: FALSE

            Based on investigations and verifiable data, fact-checkers at the Centre for Democracy & Development can confirm that the claim by Festus Keyamo suggesting that Nigeria’s inflation rate was highest during the Obasanjo administration is false. 

  1. FACT CHECK: How true are Atiku’s claims about Buhari versus PDP economy?

Claim I: Abubakar, who was vice-president from 1999 to 2007, claimed that “when the PDP was in power, Nigeria had the biggest economic growth until it became the biggest economy in Africa.”

   VERDICT: TRUE

     The claim that Nigeria had the biggest economic growth under the leadership of the PDP until it became the biggest economy in Africa is TRUE.

           Claim II: Atiku also claimed that “Nigeria had no problems with high inflation when PDP was in power.” 

VERDICT: FALSE

The claim that Nigeria had no problems with inflation when PDP was in power is FALSE.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does this video show Rivers PDP endorsing Peter Obi?

            CLAIM:

  Twitter user shared a video alongside a claim  that River state PDP has endorsed Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party for the 2023 presidential election.

           VERDICT: FALSE

           The video does not show Rivers PDP endorsing the former governor of Anambra state. The video posted was when Obi went to River state to inaugurate the bridge in November 2022, it does not show an endorsement in 2023.

  1. FACT CHECK: How true is El-Rufai claim that one LGA in Kaduna has more votes than Anambra?

            CLAIM:

             The number of votes in Anambra is the size of one local government in Kaduna state. So all states are not equal.

            VERDICT: FALSE

             El-Rufai’s claim is false. Anambra state has more registered voters than the entire population of the most populous local government area in Kaduna state.

  1. FACT CHECK: FACT CHECK: Does viral video show Dino Melaye campaigning for Peter Obi?

           CLAIM:

           Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, posted a video claiming to show Dino Melaye, a spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, asking Nigerians to support Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

VERDICT: MISLEADING

The video posted by Charly Boy on Twitter is real. Melaye indeed granted the interview, however, the part uploaded was cut out from the longer version of the interview to put his words out of context, and push a false narrative that Dino Melaye is now supporting Peter Obi.

  1. FACT CHECK: FACT CHECK: Oshiomhole makes false claim about Buhari’s 1984 naira redesign policy

         CLAIM:

        Adams Oshiomhole, deputy director-general of operations for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, has claimed that there was no withdrawal limit when Nigeria’s currency was redesigned in 1984.

        VERDICT: FALSE

The claim by Adams Oshiomole that there were no restrictions when the Naira was redesigned in 1984 is false; multiple reports show that citizens had just 12 days (April 24 to May 6) to exchange the old notes, and could only withdraw a maximum of the naira equivalent of $7,000.

  1. FACT CHECK:FACT CHECK: Keyamo, Fani-Kayode post images from Chicago as APC rally in Sokoto?

           CLAIM:

Festus Keyamo and Femi Fani-Kayode, spokespersons of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, shared images, which they claimed were from APC rally in Sokoto.

VERDICT: FALSE

CDD Election War Room found he image making the rounds is not from the APC presidential rally in Sokoto.

  1. FACT CHECK: FACT CHECK: Does video show ‘Tinubu boys’ destroying motorcycles belonging to northerners?

         CLAIM: 

          Video suggests that the motorcycles belonged to people from northern Nigeria, and were being destroyed by “Tinubu boys” in Lagos state.

             VERDICT:FALSE

           The claim that the viral video shows “Tinubu boys” crushing motorcycles owned by northerners is false. The original video is from Brooklyn, New York where “illegal dirt bikes” were destroyed by the mayor of New York.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is it true that 60% of Nigerians do not have a bank account? 

            CLAIM:

             In an interview with Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, Ademola Abass, a legal practitioner, claimed that 60% of the population does not have a bank account.

        VERDICT: FALSE

         The claim that 60% of Nigerians do not have bank accounts is false. No recent CBN data shows that 60 percent of Nigerians do not have bank accounts.

  1. FACT CHECK:Did Kwankwaso register 37 microfinance banks in Kano to ease e-payment?

CLAIM:

Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), claimed to have registered 37 microfinance banks (MFBs) in Kano state when he was the governor of the state.

VERDICT: TRUE

The claim that the Kwankwaso-led administration established 37 microfinance banks in Kano is true.

  1. FACT CHECK: This is an old video, it doesn’t show IPOB threatening election boycott in 2023

            CLAIM:

             Videos showing members of the proscribed secessionist group, Indigenous People of   Biafra (IPOB), insisting that there would be no elections in the southeast have begun making the rounds on various social media platforms.

            VERDICT: MISLEADING

            CDD Election War Room found out that the viral videos against elections in the east are not recent; they are at least four years old.

  1. FACT CHECK: Tinubu supporters make multiple false claims on fuel scarcity under PDP, APC govts

            CLAIM: 

           Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), recently decried the fuel situation in the country, alleging that the persistent scarcity was an attempt by the opposition to sabotage this month’s election.

            VERDICT: FALSE

            The claim that fuel queues never existed at filling stations between 2016 and 2021 is false; reports by credible news platforms revealed that there were several instances of long queues at petrol stations within the years under review.

  1. FACT CHECK:Has Adamu Garba abandoned APC to support Peter Obi?

            CLAIM:

            Twitter users claimed Adamu Garba, an APC supporter and member of the Tinubu/Shetima Grassroots Independent Campaign Council, has denounced his membership of the party. Some of the posts further claimed that Garba was set to join the youth in support for the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, stating that the APC is “more of a cult than a political party”.

   VERDICT: FALSE

    The claim by Peter Obi supporters that Adamu Garba has left the APC is false. Garba has not made any official statement of his support for The Labour Party Candidate. The video making the rounds was shared as far back as May 2022.

  1. FACT CHECK: El-Rufai’s claims on Percentage of Account Owners in Nigeria Inaccurate

          Claim 1: Only 34% of Nigerians have bank accounts

          VERDICT I: INACCURATE

           CDD fact-checkers verified and confirmed that the percentage of Nigerians with active bank accounts, according to the NIBSS, is 133m, which is 64 percent of Nigeria’s population and not 34 percent as claimed by Governor El-Rufai; as such, his claim is inaccurate.

     Claim 2: Only 9% of Nigerians use digital platforms for transactions

     VERDICT II: INACCURATE

          Following the data from relevant bodies and the volume of transactions by digital platforms, CDD fact-checkers conclude that 91 percent of Nigerians use digital platforms for transactions and not only 9 percent as claimed by the governor of Kaduna State.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did INEC REC in lagos say that Igbos were denied PVC because they were immigrants?

           CLAIM:

           Kenneth Okonkwo, a spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, claims Olusegun Agbaje, said Igbos in Lagos are being denied their permanent voter cards (PVCs) because they are immigrants.

            VERDICT: FALSE

            There was no point in the course of the interview where Olusegun Agbaje, INEC REC for Lagos state, referred to Igbos in Lagos as immigrants, neither did he say they were being denied PVCs because of their ethnicity. He said those being denied PVCs registered twice, which is against the law.

  1. FACT CHECK: How true were Peter Obi’s claims at the NESG presidential dialogue?

            CLAIM I:

             Seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Niger state are under the control of bandits.

             VERDICT I: TRUE

Peter Obi’s claim that seven LGAs in Niger are under bandit control was correct as of January 2022. Some changes have happened in the region, but Obi remains mostly correct in the absence of new numerical data.

 CLAIM II: 

While answering questions on the borrowing and debt profile of the country, Peter Obi identified some countries and their debt profile. He said, “I know that the biggest country, which is America today have almost 90% debt to GDP, second one China have over 60% debt to GDP, Japan is 230%. Even Singapore that we cite every day is 130% debt to GDP. (14:34).

VERDICT II: FALSE

Obi’s claim is valid that these countries are heavily indebted, but his numbers are inaccurate. Therefore, his claim for the four countries’ debt-to-GDP ratio is False.

  1. FACT CHECK: This press release is fake, INEC has no plans to postpone elections

            CLAIM:

            On February 13, 2023, a press release with the letterhead of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) claimed the commission was planning to postpone the elections.

           VERDICT: FALSE

The press statement making the rounds is FALSE. The INEC chairman did not make any statement on the postponement of the February 25, 2023, presidential election. INEC has insisted that the elections will go on as planned.

  1. FACT CHECK: How true are Atiku Abubakar’s claims from the NESG presidential dialogue?

            Claim I: London is the world’s money-laundering capital.

            VERDICT I: TRUE

The claim that London is regarded as the money laundering capital of the world is true.

Claim II: He obtained the Brazilian anti-corruption legislation, which was then used to draft the EFCC Act.

           VERDICT II: FALSE

The claim that Atiku obtained the Brazilian anti-corruption law is false, as the law had not yet been enacted when the Obasanjo-Atiku administration was in charge of Nigeria. It is, however, possible that Atiku could have gotten their Money Laundering Act from 1998.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is this letter from the Finnish government on Nigerian elections?

 CLAIM:A letter purportedly from the office of the Prime Minister of Finland was shared on social media on February 16, 2023. The letter, which was addressed to Simon Ekpa, warned him that if the sit-at-home protest he had planned for the days of the general elections in Nigeria was not called off within 48 hours, he would be charged with terrorism.

           VERDICT: FALSE

The letter is manipulated and does not originate from the Finnish government. There will be elections in southeastern Nigeria as planned by the Independent National Electoral commission.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is Lagos the only economically viable state in Nigeria?

            CLAIM:

            Agbabiaka Ahmed, who is a member of the Youth Mobilization for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, has claimed that Lagos is the only state in Nigeria that is economically viable and independent.

           VERDICT: FALSE

The claim that Lagos is the only economically viable state in Nigeria is false; credible data shows that Rivers state is also economically viable.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did El-Rufai say Tinubu is a drug baron?

           CLAIM:

          News reports, published in May 2019, are making the rounds on social media, especially WhatsApp, claiming Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, said he cannot be the running mate to Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

          VERDICT: FALSE

No evidence to show that El-Rufai ever made such a statement. The story emanated from an opposition account to demarket the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu. The stories also quote a faceless aide of the governor of Kaduna.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Buhari order EFCC to raid Tinubu’s house?

            CLAIM:

            Multiple social media accounts have shared images of new naira notes, alongside claims that they were recovered by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), after raiding the residence of Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

         VERDICT: FALSE

The claim that Buhari ordered the EFCC to conduct a raid on Tinubu’s home is false. It was deliberately designed to mislead the public.

  1. FACT CHECK:‘It’s fake news’ — Kaduna denies claim that El-Rufai revoked C of Os of all banks in Kaduna state

          CLAIM:

          A viral Twitter post has alleged that the governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, has revoked the C of Os of all banks in Kaduna state over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s naira redesign policy.

          VERDICT: FALSE

Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs, told CDD Election War Room that the claim is false. We also found no evidence of bulldozers waiting around banks in Kaduna.

  1. FACT CHECK: Aisha Buhari posts fake press statement about naira redesign 3 days to elections

          CLAIM: 

       Aisha Buhari, the wife of Nigeria’s outgoing President Muhammdu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has posted a fake press release purported to have emanated from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the naira redesign policy. 

        VERDICT: TRUE

The press statement posted by Aisha Buhari, purported to have emanated from the CBN, with the claim that old N500 and N1000 banknotes remain legal tender until May 1, 2023, is fake; findings by the CDD Election War Room show that it was not issued by the CBN.

  1. FACT CHECK: No evidence to support claim that Peter Obi donated N2 billion to CAN

          CLAIM:

 A petition, claiming that Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, gave N2 billion to CAN, and the disbursed funds are to “help and assist in mobilising and convincing their congregation to vote massively for the candidacy of Mr. Peter Obi. ” The letter claims Obi needs “urgent answers and attention from CAN, PFN, and the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria.”

         VERDICT: NO EVIDENCE 

There is no evidence to support the claim that Peter Obi donated N2 billion Naira to the Christian Association of Nigeria. Moreso, the first Twitter source for the memo has since taken down the tweet.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Festus Keyamo say Tinubu is not the best for Nigeria?

            CLAIM:

            Festus Keyamo said APC is not the best for Nigeria.

            VERDICT: MISLEADING

            The video where Festus Keyamo granted the interview is real. However, the part uploaded on Twitter and Tiktok were cut out from the longer version of the interview to put his words out of context and push a false narrative.

  1. FACT CHECK: Images show Peter Obi and Rhodes-Vivour after getting drunk.

            CLAIM:

            On February 18, 2023, a Twitter user shared two photos of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, and Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the party’s gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State.

       VERDICT: FALSE

One of the images was manipulated to show some alcoholic drinks in front of the two Labour Party candidates. Obi and Rhodes-Vivour were not drinking alcoholic drinks in the image as claimed.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Finland Government Threaten To Arrest IPOB Spokesman?

           CLAIM:

     The government of Finland has threatened to arrest the spokesperson of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Simon Ekpa.

         VERDICT: FALSE

Based on investigations, fact-checkers at the Centre for Democracy & Development can confirm that the claim of the letter circulating on social media, especially on Twitter, suggesting that the government of Finland has threatened to arrest the spokesperson for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Simon Ekpa is fake and didn’t emerge from the Finnish  (Finland) government.

  1. FACT CHECK: How accurate were Tinubu’s claims at NESG presidential dialogue?

          Claim I: “I never worked for the government before, I only guide the government. I was the governor of Lagos state and that was my first public life.”

            VERDICT I: FALSE

Tinubu was in the “public eye” before assuming the governorship of Lagos State. The claim that he had no public life prior to becoming governor is false.

Claim II: “Nigeria does not produce anything to sell to other countries”

  VERDICT II: FALSE

The claim that Nigeria does not produce anything to sell to other countries is false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Labour Party confirms death of its senatorial candidate in Enugu

            CLAIM:

            That the Labor party (LP) senatorial candidate in Enugu, Barrister Oyibo Chukwu was murdered.

           VERDICT: TRUE

The claim that Barrister Oyibo Chukwu, the Enugu East Senatorial candidate of the Labor Party was murdered has been confirmed by Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the party. 

  1. FACT CHECK: Bwala makes false claims about naira redesign crisis

            CLAIM: 

         Festus Keyamo said Bola Tinubu is a rat

VERDICT: FALSE

Keyamo was employing the use of a metaphor in describing the naira redesign crisis, not literally calling Tinubu a rat as Bwala suggests.

  1. FACT CHECK: Are Labour Party state chairmen working against Peter Obi? Here is what we know

             CLAIM:

           Bashir Ahmad, the Deputy Director, Special Media Projects/New Media, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), alleged that the chairmen of the Labour Party (LP) from the 36 states had claimed that Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the party, could not win on Saturday’s election because he had neglected them in the running of his campaign and mobilisation activities.

       VERDICT: ALL WE KNOW

There was indeed a press conference led by the Labour Party state chairman for Gombe, where heavy allegations were levelled against the party’s presidential candidate. But the party’s chairman told CDD War Room that the party’s state chairmen are working for Obi.

  1. FACT CHECK: Audio of Atiku, Okowa, Tambuwal planning with INEC to rig elections is doctored.

           CLAIM:

        An audio file ascribed to Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, began making rounds on social media. According to those sharing the voice note, the audio allegedly shows Atiku, his running mate, and the governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal, discussing how to rig the election.

        VERDICT: FALSE

The viral audio is a fake; it is an ensemble of various audio files containing the voices of the persons in question, falsely edited to spread a false narrative.

  1. FACT CHECK: Has Peter Obi, Kwankwaso stepped aside from presidential race?

           CLAIM: 

         Viral reports that Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwanso has stepped down from the presidential race.

        VERDICT: FALSE

CDD Election War Room found that Part IV, section 31 of the 2022 Electoral Act provides that a candidate may only resign (or withdraw) 90 days prior to the election.With the election less than 24 hours away, the above provision of the law cannot be followed, hence reports of candidates withdrawing are false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Obasanjo stop 1.5m Chadians from coming to vote APC in Kano, Kaduna?

             CLAIM:

             Reports alleging that former president of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo blocked 100 truck containers carrying nearly 1.5 million Chadians from entering Nigeria are going viral on social media.

VERDICT: FALSE

The claim is completely false; Obasanjo’s spokesperson has debunked the claim, and the images making the rounds are old, and from a different context altogether.

  1. FACT CHECK: Seyi Makinde openly campaigning for Tinubu?

      CLAIM:

      A 23-second video making the rounds on Twitter claims that Seyi Makinde, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Oyo state, was seen openly campaigning for Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

        VERDICT: FALSE

CDD Election War Room can confirm that the video in circulation is made up, it does not show Makinde openly campaigning for Tinubu.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does video show Peter Obi confirming IPOB sit-at-home order on election day?

          CLAIM:

          A viral video of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, is circulating online with the claim that Obi said there is sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on election day.

 VERDICT: FALSE

The claim by Simon Ekpa that Peter Obi confirmed that there is IPOB sit-at-home order on election day is false.

  1. FACT-CHECK: Is this shooting from Nigeria’s presidential election?

         CLAIM:

         A video making the rounds on various social media platforms is shared alongside claims that it shows election day violence from Nigeria’s ongoing presidential election. Two men on motorcycles are seen wielding guns and scattering boxes in the video; one of the men appears to have been shot to death by military officers.

    VERDICT:FALSE

    Running multiple Google reverse image searches of still images taken from the video, CDD Election War Room discovered that the video is from Ghana.The video alleged to have originated from a Nigerian election is false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Buhari vote for Peter Obi as multiple TikTok videos claim?

           CLAIM:

           There is a viral claim that President Muhammed Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) voted for the opposing Labour Party in the ongoing 2023 presidential elections.

            VERDICT: FALSE

Findings by the CDD Election War Room show that the claim is false.

We checked several video reports of the moment President Buhari cast his vote and saw that he voted for his party, APC.

  1. FACT CHECK: TikTok video showing INEC declaring Peter Obi winner of the election is fake

           CLAIM:

          Aviral video which originated from video hosting service, TikTok, Attahiru Jega, the former chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), announced Peter Obi as the winner of the election and was accompanied by loud cheers.

           VERDICT: FALSE

CDD Election War Room used a reverse image search, and found the exact video from the 2015 general elections when Jega was the INEC chairman and national returning officer.

The voice announcing the result was overlaid on the Jega video to show Obi as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

  1. FACT CHECK: Video does not show unauthorised persons uploading fake results to IReV portal

          CLAIM: 

Rinu Oduala, a social media influencer, uploaded a series of videos claiming unauthorised persons were uploading fake election results to the result viewing portal.

VERDICT: FALSE

The claim is false; the website in the video is not the IReV portal. In fact, it is hosted on an entirely different service. INEC officials also confirmed told CDD Election War Room that the claims are false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Obasanjo go to INEC Collation Centre Abuja?

         CLAIM:

 Did Obasanjo show up at the Abuja INEC collation center with the 2023 original result sheet for all states?

VERDICT: FALSE

CDD Election War Room the INEC collation center at the Abuja International Conference Center is being streamed live on national TVs and there is no presence of Former president Obasanjo.

  1. FACT CHECK: Viral image of Peter Obi on the cover of Time Magazine is fake

    CLAIM

Singer-songwriter Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy has claimed that Peter Obi is the latest personality to make the Times Magazine cover page.

VERDICT: FALSE

Both claims by Charly Boy are false; Obi is not on the latest cover of the Times Magazine. Yakubu Gowon, Sade Adu, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are not the only Nigerians that have made it to the cover of the Magazine.

  1. FACT CHECK: Viral video does not show Tinubu supporters burning Igbo shops in Lagos

CLAIM

A video has been circulating on Twitter from numerous users alongside claims that it shows supporters of Bola Tinubu burning shops owned by Igbos in Lagos.

VERDICT: FALSE

The evidence suggests that the video is an old video from a fire outbreak in the Ladipo area of Lagos state sometime in 2022, and has nothing to do with the 2023 presidential elections.

  1. FACT CHECK: Image does not show Ekiti election results manipulation as LP spokesperson claims?

CLAIM

Kenneth Okonkwo, the spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential campaign team, on Sunday, February 26, 2023, challenged the Ekiti state result of the presidential elections.

Okonkwo who posted an alleged screenshot of the election result uploaded by CivicHive claimed that the date of the result proves that it was uploaded days before the election, hence, it was manipulated.

VERDICT: FALSE

We went through the website of the NGO to authenticate the claim by Okonkwo. 

In verifying the claim, CDD War Room found that the result from Okonkwo slightly differed from what was uploaded on the website.The claim by Okonkwo is false; the screenshot making the rounds has been doctored to show an earlier date.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does this show Tinubu asking APC members to snatch ballot boxes?

CLAIM:

Multiple Twitter users have shared a video showing Bola Tinubu speaking to a group of people, alongside claims to he was asking them to snatch ballot boxes. A Twitter users posted a video with the caption “Tinubu giving orders? The video showed the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying ‘fight for it, grab it, snatch it, and run with it’”.

VERDICT: FALSE

The claims making the rounds with the video which showed Tinubu saying “fight for it, grab it, snatch it, and run with it” are misleading. Tinubu did not mean to snatch or run away with ballot boxes as the video suggests. The longer version of the video shows that Tinubu meant “political power” and not “ballot boxes”.

  1. FACT CHECK: Wike strategising to rig 2023 elections as leaked audio claims?

CLAIM:

A viral audio accusing Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers state, of voter intimidation began trending days after the general elections.

In the alleged audio-visual, Wike could be heard liaising with what people reported to be staffs of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as his aides through a telephone call on how to sway election results in their favour.

VERDICT: FALSE

The alleged audio is not recent and has nothing to do with the 2023 general elections. The audio has been on the internet as early as December 2016.

  1. FACT CHECK: Has NYSC suspended CDS, use of Khaki till further notice?

CLAIM:

NYSC has directed corps members not to wear their khaki, and has suspended CDS till further notice

 VERDICT: FALSE

The viral circular suggesting that corps members have been asked to avoid CDS activities and desist from wearing their khaki uniforms is fake; NYSC has said it did not issue such directive, asking members to disregard the viral broadcast message.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does video show BVAS syndicate as Dele Momodu claims?

CLAIM: 

Multiple social media users, including the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, have shared a video showing the Nigerian police arresting some individuals.

VERDICT: FALSE

The claim that police found BVAS and other electoral items meant for the manipulation of election results is false. CDD Election War Room had found that while the video was from the said arrest made on February 28, 2023, the Nigerian police force had debunked such arrest after INEC confirmed that the persons arrested were its engineers and in lawful possession of the items.

  1. FACT CHECK: Claim on Mobile Cash Transfer Shutdown during Elections

CLAIM:

Mobile cash transfer shutdown during 2023 Elections.

VERDICT: FALSE

The CDD Election War Room verified the claim and found it to be false. An official of the CBN, who is not authorized to speak, said the apex bank couldn’t have authorized such information, adding that the post had been labeled “fake”.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did African Union reject Bola Tinubu as president-elect?

CLAIM:

An image showing African leaders has been shared online alongside claims that it shows the African Union (AU) rejecting Bola Tinubu as the president-elect of Nigeria.

VERDICT: FALSE

This claim is false; there is no evidence of the said press release from the African Union. The African Union’s presser is public and it does not reject the election. It only calls on “candidates to settle electoral disputes through peaceful means and dialogue, in accordance with the law”.

  1. FACT CHECK: No, Anonymous did not say Tinubu paid $200m to INEC chairman

CLAIM:

Facebook page that claimed to be the notorious hacking group Anonymous accused Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of corruption.The page alleged that Yakubu was hosted by Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, who gave the INEC boss $200,000,000 in bits of $50m.

VERDICT: FALSE

The claim that Anonymous said Tinubu paid the INEC chairman is false; CDD Election War Room found that it emanated from an impostor page on Facebook.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did the European Union ask INEC to disqualify Tinubu?

CLAIM:

A press statement allegedly from the European Union making the rounds on social media has called for the disqualification of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress as the president-elect for ‘gross electoral misconduct’.

VERDICT: False

The alleged press release from the European Union calling for the disqualification of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s president-elect is fake. The European Union debunked this claim on its official Twitter page on March 3, 2023.

  1. FACT CHECK: Have international leaders called for the cancellation of the 2023 presidential election?

CLAIM:

Multiple news platforms reported some international leaders calling for the cancellation of Nigeria’s 2023 general election.

VERDICT: False

The image circulating WhatsApp showing multiple international leaders calling for the cancellation of the Nigeria 2023 election is false. No reputable media outlet has published such news, and there have been no official statements from some of these individuals to that effect.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did the Nigerian Army accuse Wike of bribery during the 2023 election?

CLAIM:

On March 4, 2023, a Twitter user posted a video corroborating claims that Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State, committed atrocities in the 2023 presidential election of February 25. The video was tweeted as a reaction to the post by a Peter Obi supporter claiming that Wike was at a market in Port Harcourt asking the people for forgiveness over the atrocities he committed during the just concluded general election.

VERDICT: Misleading

The video being circulated online is real and dates back to February 2019. The narration is however misleading as the press briefing and the alleged financial inducement does not relate to the just concluded 2023 General election.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does the video show Nigerians protesting Tinubu’s victory in the UK?

CLAIM:

FacebookTwitterlinkedinPinterestGoogle+RedditMixTumblr A video of people chanting “give us Obi” has been shared on social media alongside claims that it shows Nigerians abroad protesting against the victory of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress in the February 25 presidential election.

VERDICT: False

This is an old video, it shows a rally in support of Peter Obi, not a protest against Tinubu’s victory in the just concluded February 25, 2023, presidential election.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does the IReV portal show that Peter Obi won the election?

CLAIM:

A user claimed in this tweet, which has received over 30,000 likes and has been viewed more than 700,000 times, that on the IReV (INEC Result Viewing) portal, Peter Obi defeated Bola Tinubu decisively. It stated that the APC won in seven states, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in eight, and the Labour Party (LP) in 19 including the FCT.

VERDICT: Misleading

The claim that the Labour Party won the election is at best misleading. There is not enough evidence from the IReV portal to show Obi won in 19 states and the FCT.

  1. FACT CHECK: How true is Simon Ekpa’s claim about Wike, Fayose killing people?

CLAIM:

A viral ‘leaked’ audio purporting to be a phone conversation between the outgoing governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, and the former governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, is making the rounds on social media. Simon Ekpa, a Finnish-Nigerian separatist, calling for the independence of Biafra, posted the said conversation on Twitter, claiming that Wike and Fayose were discussing how they killed people during elections.

VERDICT: False

The claim by Simon Ekpa that the leaked phone conversation shows Wike and Fayose discussing how they killed people during the February 25 polls is false; findings revealed that the leaked audio has been on the Internet since 2016, six years ago and has nothing to do with the 2023 election.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does Obio Akpor LGA’s result on the INEC portal differ from what was announced?

CLAIM:

A Twitter user accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), of electoral malpractice. According to the handle, the Obio Akpor LGA result uploaded by the electoral commission on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV)  differed from that which was announced by the commission.

VERDICT: False

The claim is false and lacks evidence. Due to the poor uploads of some of the results by the electoral officers, it is currently impossible for anyone to add up the results on IReV from Obio Akpor LGA.

  1. ELECTIONFACT CHECK FACT CHECK: Does the video show how Obi and Atiku planned to rig presidential elections?

CLAIM:

A viral video has accused Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar and their supporters of trying to hack the INEC server and rig the election.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found the real video and used Deepware to analyse the alleged video. We can, therefore, confirm that the alleged video was doctored. The video does not show Obi or Atiku planning to rig elections.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is Ireti Kingibe the first elected female senator for FCT?

CLAIM:

FacebookTwitterlinkedinPinterestGoogle+RedditMixTumblr On March 6, 2023, Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) Presidential candidate, and the second runner-up in the just-concluded presidential election, met with the newly elected senator for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe. Shortly after the meeting, Peter Obi posted on Twitter that she just became the first elected female senator for the FCT.

VERDICT: False

The claim that Ireti Kingibe is the first elected female senator for the FCT is FALSE. While Obi has since corrected himself, most of the news platforms that picked the story are yet to do the same.

  1. FACT CHECK: Will INEC reconfiguration of BVAS erase presidential election data?

CLAIM:

There has been news going around that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wants to reconfigure the Bimordal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS). There are insinuations that the configuration will erase all the data on the system in preparation for the gubernatorial and state assembly elections.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found that the court has approved for INEC to reconfigure the BVAS machine ahead of the gubernatorial and state assembly election. INEC has reiterated that the reconfiguration will not lead to loss of data from the just-concluded presidential election.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is this a throwback picture of Tinubu and the current Chief Justice of Nigeria?

CLAIM:

Bola Tinubu and the present Chief Justice of the Federation can be seen in a vintage photo that was discovered on Twitter.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room ran a reverse image search on the picture and also confirmed from pre-2023 posts by Dele Momodu that the picture is that of Bola Tinubu and Dele Momodu — not the current Chief Justice of Nigeria.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is the video of the US govt congratulating Tinubu doctored as Melaye claims?

CLAIM:

Dino Melaye, posted a video on Twitter on March 15, 2023, disputing the United States (US) congratulatory message to Bola Tinubu on victory at the polls. Melaye’s tweet was captioned: “US congratulate Tinubu: No be the man dey talk ooo. Watch him mouth. Which agbero tv station be this wey no get nafdac number. Na wa for desperados. SDM”. Melaye suggested that the video was doctored, and it does not show a US official congratulating Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for winning the election.

VERDICT: False

Dino Melaye’s claim is false. The video is genuine; the US congratulated Bola Tinubu for winning the just-concluded presidential election. The message is contained in a States Department press briefing by Ned Price. That video was uploaded by PlusTVAfrica on its YouTube channel. A statement was also published to this effect, asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix technical issues before the gubernatorial and state assembly polls.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is Peter Obi ignoring Labour Party’s guber candidate in C’River to support PDP?

CLAIM:

In a blog post, Ekpa claimed that Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, ignored the Cross-River guber candidate, Ogar Osim, and endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) guber candidate, Sandy Onor.

VERDICT: ALL WE KNOW

Ogar Osim, the LP chairman for C’River, has always described himself as a placeholder since no one else was running for the office. Peter Obi has also said that the LP will collaborate with another party that has a viable candidate for governor because the LP does not have one. Together, the LP and organisations backing the LP’s presidential candidate decided to back Sandy Onor.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Jandor, PDP guber candidate, say he rejected GRV as running mate for being incapable?

CLAIM:

A Twitter user posted a video interview of Abdulazeez Olajide Adediran, popularly called Jandor, with the claim that he rejected Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV) as his running mate for not being capable.

VERDICT: Misleading

The claim that Rhodes-Vivour was rejected as Jandor’s running mate because he was incapable is misleading; We checked and can confirm that Jandor said in the interview that he chose Funke Akindele because a leader in the PDP wanted to impose Gbadebo on him. He said the party leader is a friend of Gbadebo’s father.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Galaxy Backbone say IReV was attacked during the presidential election?

CLAIM:

An online newspaper with nearly 400,000 followers on Twitter reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Results Viewing portal, also known as IReV portal came under 1.2 million attacks. According to the newspaper, Galaxy Backbone, which runs the website, said “1.2 million cyberattacks launched during the presidential election, next day”.

VERDICT: ALL WE KNOW

Based on corroborated reports by Punch and The Cable, Galaxy Backbone MD made a statement that “On the election day alone, we were able to block more than 200 attacks and the next day, the attacks geometrically increased to about 1.2 million and all were blocked from our own businesses”. However, with a press release, Galaxy Backbone rebutted this report made by these media houses. This rebuttal was side-lined by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who released a press statement on the notion that the IRev was attacked during the Presidential Election.

  1. FACT CHECK: Viral image does not show an attack on Olumide Oworu of the Labour Party

CLAIM:

Is the viral picture showing Olumide Oworu of the Labour Party with a bleeding face from an attack on March 16, 2023?

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found that the picture was from a movie set where Olumide was featured, and it was posted on his Instagram page on October 3, 2022.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did slain UNICAL Prof manipulate presidential election results for Tinubu?

CLAIM:

Murdered UNICAL professor, Felix Akpan, manipulated presidential results for APC’s Bola Tinubu?

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room discovered that the professor has been away from academic activities for about four years because of an illness and is just recovering from a stroke. He was not involved in the collation of election results in the Feb. 25 election.

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

CLAIM:

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.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room confirmed that the video was produced by a NADECO group which does not speak on behalf of the US government. The group demanded INEC to prove the validity of the announced results and not the US government which has already congratulated Bola Tinubu as the president-elect.

  1. FACT CHECK: INEC remove names of non-Yoruba from the voters’ list in Lagos.

CLAIM:

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.

VERDICT: False

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.

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

CLAIM:

A social media post currently circulating says the Labour Party in Lagos State has replaced its governorship candidate Rhodes-Vivour hours before elections.

VERDICT: False

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

  1. FACT CHECK: Election results were uploaded to the IReV portal at 9:55 am in Rivers State.

CLAIM:

A post shared on Twitter claims that two results have been uploaded in Rivers state to the INEC result viewing portal as early as 9:55 am while the election is expected to still be going on. According to INEC guidelines for elections, the process is expected to start at 8:30 am and end by 2:30 pm. Therefore, the result upload by 9:55 am can be seen as premature.

VERDICT: Misleading

CDD Election War Room visited the IReV portal and discovered that two results had indeed been uploaded. However, it appeared to have been an error as one of the uploads was an empty sheet from the Ojugbe Town Hall polling unit and the other was a picture of a male ad-hoc staff from the Baptist High School I polling unit.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Oro Festival hold on March 18, the guber election day?

CLAIM:

Multiple Twitter posts claimed that the Oro festival held in Lagos state was still ongoing on the guber election day, as such, disturbed voters.

VERDICT: No Evidence

CDD Election War Room could not confirm the claim that the festival was still ongoing by 7 am election day. However, reports from observers show that the elections process in many parts of Lagos has begun.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did Hoodlums chase INEC Officials in Osun state?

CLAIM:

Multiple online media platforms have claimed that a group of hoodlums destabilised the voting process in Osogbo, Osun state on March 18, 2023, The posts claimed that the hoodlums attacked the Ataoja Ward 5 polling units 10 and 11 polling unit while voting was ongoing and started shooting sporadically, chasing away INEC officials and voters.

VERDICT: True

Credible news agencies have confirmed the attack in a report they published on March 18, 2023. According to them, “the hoodlums did not cart away with the ballot box but they disrupted the process and forced both officials and electorates from the two units which are closed to one another.”

  1. FACT CHECK: Did hoodlums burn voting materials in Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa state?

CLAIM:

A video making the rounds on social media claims that hoodlums carted away with and burnt election materials in Constituency II, specifically wards 2, 3, 4, and 5, in the Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa state. The post claimed that the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday, March 18, 2023.

VERDICT: True

The CDD Election War Room checked the claim and found it to be true. The War Room reached out to the CDD observer’s state coordinator in Bayelsa state, and he confirmed that the incident is true.

  1. FACT CHECK: No election in Akete ward of Donga LGA Taraba State?

CLAIM: True

Multiple social media pages have posted photos of vandalised election materials which are claimed to be from the collation centre in the Akete ward of Donga LGA in Taraba state. The posts claimed that there is no voting going on in the said ward because thugs vandalised the collation centre and made away with election materials at the ward.

VERDICT: True

The CDD Election War Room verified this claim and found it to be true. Daily sun newspapers confirmed this in the early hours of Saturday, March 18, 2023. According to them, the hoodlums attacked the ward around 6:30 am on March 18, 2023, when INEC was about to move the materials to various polling units. Officials and voters ran for their lives.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did OSPAC members disrupt elections in Rivers?

CLAIM: 

Viral reports from the March 18, 2023 governorship and state assembly elections, claim that members of the Onelga Peace Security and Advisory Committee (OSPAC) in Rivers State were visiting polling units in Emohua where they allegedly threatened to scuttle the election if they weren’t “settled,”

VERDICT: True

CDD Election War Room spoke with the CDD state coordinator for election observers in Rivers State, who confirmed that members of OSPAC were present in Emohua local government, but that they were unable to disrupt the electoral process because security agents were invited to calm the situation. He also stated that the members were present at the Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area, which serves as their main base or headquarters.

  1. FACT CHECK: Were INEC ad-hoc staff shot in Abua Odual, Rivers state?

CLAIM:

On March 18, 2023, a piece of news went viral that two INEC ad hoc staff were shot in Rivers states. The viral message reads “Two INEC ad hoc staff shot in Abua Odual. One dead on the way to hospital”

VERDICT: True

CDD Election War Room reached out to our Rivers state coordinator who confirmed that two INEC ad hoc staff were shot in Ward 007, Abua Odual, Rivers State. The state coordinator added that one of them died on the way to the clinic while the other was hospitalised.

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

CLAIM:

Dino Melaye 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”

VERDICT: 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.

  1. FACT CHECK: Is it true that there was no violence in the Lagos guber poll as Adamu Garba claims?

CLAIM:

Adamu Garba claimed in a tweet that there was no violence during the March 18 guber polls in Lagos.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room checked and found that several incidents of violence were reported by credible media outlets during the gubernatorial and house of assembly elections in Lagos state.

  1. FACT CHECK: Do videos show LP thugs intimidating and harassing voters as Keyamo claimed?

CLAIM:

Festus Keyamo posted two videos on Twitter with the claim that they show LP thugs intimidating and harassing voters.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room assessed the videos and can confirm that there was no mention of Labour Party thugs intimidating and harassing voters.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did GRV step down to endorse Sanwo-Olu on election day?

CLAIM:

A Twitter user claimed that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the Labour Party (LP) candidate in Lagos state, has stepped down in favour of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the incumbent governor of the state and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

VERDICT: False

The claim that Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the LP has stepped down in favour of the candidate of the APC, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is false.

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

CLAIM:

Is it true that Olumide Oworu’s name is missing from the final list of House of Assembly candidates published by INEC?

VERDICT: True

CDD Election War Room checked the final list as published by INEC and found that the LP candidate on the INEC list for Surelere Constituency I is Adebayo Bode. However, after the list was published, a Federal High Court asked INEC to accept fresh nominations in 24 states, including Lagos.

  1. FACT CHECK: Does the video show a man shot in Ago, Lagos state on election day?

CLAIM:

A viral video on social media claims that an unidentified man was shot at the Ago palace of Lagos state

VERDICT: True

The CDD War Room contacted various media observers on the field who confirmed the incident. They, however, noted that they couldn’t verify if the victim was dead or unconscious.

  1. FACT CHECK: Can BVAS work and transmit results without a SIM card?

CLAIM:

BVAS machines without SIM cards would not be able to transmit election results.

VERDICT: False

The CDD Election War Room confirmed that BVAS with or without SIM cards will work for voters’ accreditation and transmission of results. Asides from using SIM cards, the BVAS machine can upload results when connected to a hotspot.

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

CLAIM:

Multiple Twitter posts claimed that Bola Tinubu was rushed to the hospital at midnight and is unable to participate in the ongoing guber polls.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found no evidence to support the viral claims. We can, however, confirm that Bola Tinubu, Nigeria`s president-elect, was at his PU in Alausa, Lagos to vote in the ongoing March 18 gubernatorial elections.

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

CLAIM:

A viral poster image claims that Olumale Eluku plans to disrupt the gubernatorial election in Lagos state.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room found that the poster image making rounds had been online since 2017. We also found that Razak Shodipo, the Olumale Eluku whose name appeared in 2019 and 2023, died in 2021 and has since been replaced by Chief Murisiku Olabanji OreAgba.

  1. FACT CHECK: INEC manipulating election results in Emohua LGA, Rivers state?

CLAIM:

A video making the rounds on social media has claimed that in Emohua local government area of Rivers State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is planning to manipulate election results. The video has claimed that the commission had constructed a ‘back door’ in its office in Emohua LGA where they intend to sneak out election materials after the voting exercise. The video also shows purported used INEC materials on the floor– which it claimed, were discarded by INEC.

VERDICT: False

CDD War Room confirmed from credible sources that there’s nothing of the sort happening in the Emohua local government area of Rivers State.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did 10 BVAS machines go missing in Oporoza community RAC?

CLAIM:

Multiple posts making the rounds online claim that some Bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) machines were missing in the Oporoza community in Warri South West Local Government Area. The tweets claimed 10 BVAS were missing out of the supposed 23 that were made available for the 23 polling units in the community.

VERDICT: False

According to INEC officials, the claim that 10 BVAS machines were stolen from the Oporoza community is false. The machines were taken for reconfiguration, without the express permission of the electoral officer.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did the INEC chairman work under Wike as Amaechi claims?

CLAIM:

Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, claimed that the current INEC chairman served under Wike as the executive secretary of TETFUND.

VERDICT: Misleading

The current INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, was indeed executive secretary of TETFUND at the time Wike was minister of state for education, but Yakubu was answerable to the board of trustees and not exactly the minister of state.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did INEC Chairman Work Under Wike As TETFUND Secretary?

CLAIM:

A viral tweet claims that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, worked under Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State as Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) secretary.

VERDICT: False

CDD fact-checkers can confirm that the current chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was not the Executive Secretary of TETFUND at the time Nyesom Wike was Minister of State for Education; hence the claim is false.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did APGA sponsor vote-buying in Anambra?

CLAIM:

There are allegations that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was at the forefront of vote-buying during the March 18, 2023, governorship and state assembly elections in Anambra.

VERDICT: True

The CDD Election War Room was able to confirm, through its observer coordinator, that there was extensive vote-buying in Ihiala LGA of Anambra and other areas, which he claimed was spearheaded by APGA.

  1. FACT CHECK: Did INEC declare Adebutu Ogun state governor-elect?

CLAIM:

Is Oladipupo Olatunde Adebutu the governor-elect of Ogun State?

VERDICT:

INEC declared Dapo Abiodun as the winner of the just concluded gubernatorial election, having scored the highest vote of 276,298. His closest rival, Oladipupo Adebutu scored 13,915 votes.

  1. FACT CHECK: Viral video shows clash in Congo, not election violence in Nigeria.

CLAIM:

A viral video showing a crisis situation is making the rounds on social media alongside claims that it shows a political crisis from the 2023 governorship elections in Nigeria.

VERDICT: False

CDD Election War Room broke the video down into keyframes, conducted multiple image searches and found this to be an old video from a football tournament in Congo.

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