Fact-Check: Did President Trump Claim Nigeria’s Last Election Was “Deeply Questionable”?

Claim: A social media post credits a statement to U.S. President Donald Trump, alleging that Nigeria’s last general election was deeply questionable and demanding “an honest election.”

Verdict: Fabricated

Full Story

A viral social media post targeting President Donald Trump emerged less than two days after U.S. Congressman Riley Moore met with members of the Nigerian-American community to reiterate the Trump administration’s commitment to monitoring the integrity of Nigeria’s upcoming elections.

The post claims that President Trump directly criticised Nigeria’s previous electoral process. According to the viral text, Trump allegedly stated:

“No More Weak Leadership.” It’s Time for Nigeria to WIN! Nigeria Must Have an Honest Election—No Excuses! Let the People Speak. Let Nigeria WIN Again! A Great Nation Deserves Great Leadership.

“Nigeria deserves a FREE and FAIR election. They deserve leadership that puts Nigeria FIRST.

As stated in the purported statement, President Trump allegedly said,

“Many people are saying the last election was “deeply questionable.”

See the screenshot below

The post appeared with side-by-side photos of President Bola Tinubu and opposition leader Peter Obi, giving it an overt political tone.

The post quickly attracted more than 40,000 views, and strong engagement suggested that many readers accepted the fabricated claim, with some welcoming possible U.S. intervention.

While a user named Shola Anthony commented, “In fact, we are all anticipating it. These evil politicians are too mischievous.” Others remained sceptical, with user John Davis commenting, “I don’t believe Trump said this.”

Verification

NDRFactcheck investigated the claim by reviewing official channels, media reports, and the origin of the post.

While credible media outlets (including The Guardian and Business Insider) widely covered Congressman Riley Moore’s recent town hall meeting with the Nigerian-American community, no credible media platform has reported any direct statement from President Donald Trump criticising Nigeria’s past elections.

Furthermore, a thorough search of the official website of the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria returned zero records of any such statement.

NDRFactcheck traced the source of the viral post to an X commentary account: MaziTundeEdnutfan (@HonestNarrative).

The account has a documented record of spreading political disinformation. Recently, the same handle was flagged for sharing a fabricated claim that former President Goodluck Jonathan was offered ₦500 billion to split opposition votes. The claim was debunked here.

President Donald Trump is often the subject of digital disinformation linked to African and Nigerian domestic politics. NDRFactcheck has identified a recurring pattern in these fabrications:

A viral post claimed that Trump had promised to “restore electoral integrity in Nigeria.” This was debunked as originating from a verified parody account (@TrumpRDonald2).

Another widely shared rumour claimed Trump had given the Nigerian government a deadline to release IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The claim was also proven to be entirely false.

While the Trump administration has maintained a highly vocal stance on Nigeria, particularly on security, religious freedom, and human rights, President Trump has not issued any statement on the legitimacy of Nigeria’s past elections.

Verdict: The viral post is fabricated.

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