Fact-Check Roundup: 10 Key Claim NDR Investigated About Obi, Atiku, Tinubu, Others Over the Past 30 Days
NDRFactCheck investigated 10 claims circulating on social media in the last 30 days involving prominent Nigerian politicians, including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and...
NDRFactCheck investigated 10 claims circulating on social media in the last 30 days involving prominent Nigerian politicians, including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other public figures.
The investigations examined claims about political endorsements, alleged statements, viral videos, electoral developments, and the activities of public officials. Findings showed that some claims were misleading, while others were false or unsupported by credible evidence.
Below are the key findings from the investigations.
1. Fact-Check: Old Video of Atiku Abubakar’s Son Joining APC Falsely Linked to His Father’s Support for Tinubu
Claim: An X user, @UchePOkoye, claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Verdict: Misleading
NDRFactCheck found that the video showed Atiku’s son, Abubakar Atiku Abubakar, popularly known as Abba, defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC). It did not show Atiku Abubakar declaring support for Tinubu. The post therefore misrepresented the son’s political move as evidence of his father’s political position.
Read the full fact-check here.
2. Fact-Check: Fabricated Headline Falsely Attributes Ethnic-Profiling Statement to Peter Obi
Claim: An X user, @sistaliano, shared an image purportedly showing a PUNCH Newspapers headline quoting Peter Obi as saying that people other than Igbos were involved in the Lagos ₦2 billion fake drinks bust.
Verdict: Unverified
NDRFactCheck found no evidence that PUNCH Newspapers published the purported headline or that Peter Obi made the statement attributed to him. Although credible reports supported the NAFDAC operation involving the reported ₦2 billion seizure, the quotation remained unverified.
Read the full fact-check here.
3. Fact-Check: Wike’s Remarks on Fuel Subsidy Were Directed at Atiku, Not Tinubu
Claim: An X user, @Big_Sinudo, claimed that FCT Minister Nyesom Wike criticised President Tinubu for allegedly reintroducing fuel subsidy through the backdoor.
Verdict: Misleading
NDRFactCheck found that the viral video had been taken out of context. Wike’s remarks concerned Atiku Abubakar’s proposed approach to fuel subsidy, not an expression of anger at Tinubu over an alleged return of fuel subsidy.
Read the full fact-check here
4. Fact-Check: No Credible Evidence Zulum Threatened to Rig Elections for Tinubu
Claim: An X user, @BiaPulse, alleged that Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum threatened to rig elections for President Tinubu if Northerners refused to vote for him because of hardship and hunger.
Verdict: Unsubstantiated
NDRFactCheck searched for the alleged quotation and conducted a reverse-image search. Although reports documented Zulum’s comments on Tinubu’s proposed tax reforms and their implications for Northern Nigeria, the investigation found no credible evidence that he threatened to rig elections for the president.
Read the full fact-check here.
5. Fact-Check: Video of People Queuing Wrongly Linked to Political Incentives
Claim: An X user, @_saylessbrO, shared images allegedly showing people in Lagos queuing to receive political campaign benefits.
Verdict: Misleading
NDRFactCheck used reverse-image search to trace the images to a video uploaded on August 22, 2026, by TikTok user @mayree200. The original video presented the gathering as part of a school activity, contradicting the viral post’s suggestion that the people were waiting for political incentives.
Read the full fact-check here.
6. Fact-Check: INEC Chairman Did Not Welcome President Tinubu at the Airport
Claim: A social media post alleged that INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan was among the officials who welcomed President Tinubu at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos after his European vacation.
Verdict: False
NDRFactCheck reviewed the original footage, which carried the watermark of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). The investigation identified the man misrepresented as Amupitan as Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, the president’s Special Adviser on Political Affairs.
The video did not establish that the INEC chairman was present to welcome Tinubu.
Read the full fact-check here.
7. Fact-Check: Old Video of Tinubu Circulates as His Recent Arrival from France
Claim: An X user, Real MaziTundeEdnut, shared a video of President Tinubu disembarking from an aircraft, suggesting that the president had returned from France with a physical deformity.
Verdict: Misleading
NDRFactCheck conducted a reverse-image search and found the video dated January 2026, when Tinubu returned from Türkiye. The footage was therefore old and did not establish that the president had recently returned from France as claimed.
Read the full fact-check here.
8. Fact-Check: Sharafadeen Alli Did Not Endorse APM for the 2027 Elections
Claim: A social media post alleged that Oba Barrister Sharafadeen Alli, the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State, had endorsed the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) for the 2027 general elections.
Verdict: Misleading
NDRFactCheck found no evidence that Alli had formally endorsed the Allied Peoples’ Movement or its candidate. The claim arose from a misinterpretation of a political reference to APM, which was understood in the context of the Ala Akala Transformation Movement (ATM) in Oyo State.
Read the full fact-check here.
9. Fact-Check: Siminalayi Fubara Did Not Emerge as YPP Governorship Candidate
Claim: An X user, @sani_suleman claimed that Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara had emerged as the governorship candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Verdict: False
NDRFactCheck’s investigation found that the claim confused Governor Siminalayi Fubara with another politician, Blessing Fubara Snr., who was identified as the actual YPP governorship candidate. The viral post therefore incorrectly attributed the party’s candidacy to the Rivers State governor.
Read the full fact-check here.
10. Fact-Check: Peter Obi Did Not Say FG Was Using Chinese Traders to Make Igbos Go Hungry
Claim: An X user, Comrade Amoda (@AmodaOgunlere), shared a graphic attributing to Peter Obi the statement that the Federal Government was using Chinese traders to flood the market and make Igbos go hungry.
Verdict: Unsubstantiated
NDRFactCheck found no evidence that Obi made the statement. The graphic circulated shortly after Igbo traders at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex protested the alleged growing presence of Chinese merchants in retail trading. However, the timing of the protest did not establish the authenticity of the quotation attributed to Obi.
Read the full fact-check here.
Conclusion
The investigations highlight how old videos, misleading captions, fabricated headlines, misidentified individuals, and unverified quotations can distort political discourse in Nigeria. As the country approaches the 2027 general elections, NDRFactCheck urges the public to verify claims against credible sources before sharing them.
Checking the authenticity, context, and source of political information remains essential to limiting misinformation and promoting informed public debate.
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