Fact-Check: Viral Headline Misleadingly Links Emir Sanusi to Anti-Atiku Remarks

Claim: A Facebook user,  jidesolanke shared a claim, alleging that the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said, “Atiku is either lying or he does not know the job he is coming to take.”

Verdict: Misleading

Background Story

Following former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s reported promise to revisit Nigeria’s petrol subsidy policy if elected president in 2027, a claim emerged on social media alleging that the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, had criticised Atiku, accusing him of either lying or failing to understand the responsibilities of the office he seeks. See the claim below:

The claim was presented in a purported front-page image of The Nation newspaper bearing the headline: “Atiku is either lying or he doesn’t know the job he is coming to…”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced the removal of the petrol subsidy during his inaugural address on May 29, 2023. The policy was followed by an immediate increase in petrol prices and a rise in the cost of living, with the prices of goods and services increasing across the country.

In August 2026, Atiku reportedly acknowledged the rationale behind subsidy removal but criticised the Tinubu administration over its handling of the savings generated by the policy.

Against this backdrop, the viral claim suggested that Sanusi had joined the debate by directly attacking Atiku over his position on fuel subsidy.

The post attracted reactions from social media users, some of whom appeared to accept the purported quotation as authentic.

For instance, a user identified as @Isiaka Hazan described Atiku as a desperate politician, while another user, @Olufemi Mesioye, alleged that Atiku intended to become president to siphon public funds.

In contrast, @Honourable Abdrasaq Qudus Onipe expressed support for Atiku, stating, “No matter any intimidation and lies, Atiku Abubakar is the next president of Nigeria.”

Atiku is associated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the political contest ahead of the 2027 general elections, alongside other political figures, including incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Given Sanusi’s prominence in Nigeria’s traditional and public life, a statement directly criticising a presidential aspirant could influence public perceptions of the candidate. NDRFactCheck therefore investigated the authenticity of the claim.

Verification

NDRFactCheck searched for credible news reports confirming that Sanusi had described Atiku as either lying or not understanding the job he was seeking. The search did not establish that credible news organisations had reported the alleged statement in the context presented by the viral post.

A reverse-image search of the purported The Nation newspaper front page returned several social media posts but did not establish the authenticity of the headline through an original newspaper publication or an independently verifiable report.

Further examination of the image raised questions about its reliability.

First, the purported newspaper front page contains emojis alongside Sanusi’s name. This differs from the conventional presentation of headlines in the newspaper and raises concerns about whether the image is an authentic reproduction of the original edition.

Second, the masthead displays the date Monday, April 28, 2025, alongside Volume 14, Number 5,326. These publication details require independent verification against the newspaper’s archive. The image alone does not establish that the headline appeared in the original edition.

NDRFactCheck’s further investigation traced the wording to an earlier statement attributed to Sanusi in a video circulating on social media.

In the video, Sanusi reportedly said:

“Anybody who tells you that it is going to be easy, please don’t vote for him. It is either he is lying to you or he doesn’t know what job he is going to get.”

The statement was reported by TheCable in the context of political campaigning ahead of the 2023 presidential election. In that context, Sanusi was warning politicians against making promises that misrepresented the difficulties involved in governing Nigeria.

Although several candidates contested the 2023 presidential election, including Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Atiku Abubakar, the available evidence did not establish that Sanusi singled out Atiku as the target of the statement.

The similarity between the earlier quotation and the viral newspaper headline suggests that the wording may have been taken from Sanusi’s previous remarks and reframed to portray him as directly attacking Atiku over his position on fuel subsidy.

NDRFactCheck also examined the broader context of the subsidy debate.

Media reports in 2025 have documented Sanusi’s support for removing fuel subsidies on consumption while distinguishing that position from subsidies intended to support production.

Sanusi has reportedly stated:

“I have nothing against subsidies if you are subsidising production. My objection has always been subsidy on consumption.”

NDRFactCheck found no independently verifiable evidence establishing that Sanusi made the specific statement about Atiku in the context presented by the viral newspaper image.

In summary, the claim that Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi directly accused Atiku Abubakar of lying or not understanding the job he was seeking over his position on fuel subsidy is misleading.

The viral image does not establish that the headline appeared in the original edition of The Nation. Furthermore, the wording closely resembles an earlier statement attributed to Sanusi during the 2023 election campaign, when he spoke generally about politicians making promises to voters.

Available evidence does not establish that Sanusi singled out Atiku in that earlier statement or made the specific accusation attributed to him in the viral post.

Therefore, portraying Emir Sanusi’s statement as a response to Atiku Abubakar’s recent call to restore the fuel subsidy is misleading.

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