Fact-Check: Video of People in a Queue Wrongly Linked to Political Incentives

Claim: A viral video shows citizens queuing to receive political incentives.

Verdict: Misleading

Full story

Still photos from a video shared on X on the 9th of October 2026 by user @_saylessbrO claim to show citizens queuing for political incentives. The post encourages viewers to interpret the gathering as evidence of people waiting for benefits associated with political activities.

Attached to the photos is the caption, “Citizens seen lining up in Lagos State to receive campaign benefits. Imagine the struggle for that lady.”

The photos show young people struggling to stay in line. The post has garnered more than 120,000 views, 800 likes, and 400 reposts.

A screenshot of the X post

NDRFactCheck finds this claim to be misleading.

Using reverse image search, it was found that the still photos are from a video uploaded on the 22nd of August 2026 by TikTok user @mayree200, who presents the scene as part of a school activity, offering a different explanation for the gathering.

In the video, the TikTok user added the caption, “GST Exam is not for the weak.”

Further findings show that the video depicts Imo State University students struggling to form and remain in a queue for a compulsory computer-based exam.

The X post attributes a political motive to the gathering, while the TikTok post identifies it as a school activity.

Proving that political incentives were received would require evidence linking the gathering to a political party, candidate, or activity and showing that benefits were offered, distributed, or accepted.

The presidential election and general elections are on the way, and at a time like this, political activities, including campaigns, will make the news. Images and videos can be recirculated with misleading descriptions, encouraging viewers to draw conclusions that the footage itself does not support.

Social media users should verify the source and circumstances of videos before sharing claims about political inducement. A caption is not proof of what happened, and a crowd should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of political incentives.

Conclusion

The claim that the video shows citizens queuing for political incentives is MISLEADING because the TikTok post offers a different explanation, identifying the gathering as a school activity.

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