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Over the years, Nigerian elections have been marred by diverse forms of disinformation driven by several factors, including religious and ethnic intolerance, which have influenced the democratic process.
During the 2023 election, Nigeria likely saw the first deluge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) disinformation, from false attributions to fabricated video, audio, and pictures, which shaped the electoral process and voters’ choices.
As the country heads to another presidential election scheduled for Jan. 15, 2027, we are seeing a new pattern of AI-influenced disinformation that makes it hard for citizens to distinguish authentic political communication from manipulated audio, images, and videos.
Advancements in technology are profoundly reshaping disinformation dynamics in Nigeria and beyond, making it easier for bad actors to create and spread it. Now, purveyors of “fake news” can easily create manipulated content and graphics that mimic original, genuine content.
Beyond the public, AI-generated disinformation is increasingly targeting political parties and candidates. This offers a sobering preview of future challenges as the country pushes toward the 2027 presidential election.
According to a report by Bloomwit Africa in June 2026, 96.5% of Nigerian internet users are on WhatsApp, the most-used platform in the market, where political conversations happen in closed, encrypted channels and mature privately before surfacing publicly.
During a keynote address delivered at the 13th Annual International Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) in Abuja, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, warned about how the growing AI-driven disinformation trend poses a major threat to the credibility of the 2027 general election.
In this report, we will discuss disinformation trends and targets we have observed over the last few months.
False attribution
In August 2026, the election disinformation trend gained full momentum, starting with social media users sharing manipulated newspaper front pages impersonating credible media organisations such as Punch, Nigeria Tribune, and The Guardian. DUBAWA fact-checked them here and here.
In September 2026, users shifted to giving credibility to false and fabricated statements by using pictures of political candidates to authenticate the claims.
On Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, an X user @dagbanamanager (archived here), with over 30,000 followers, shared a news card with the image of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and attributed a provocative statement to him. The text on the card read, “We will make sure Northerners suffer from January to May if Tinubu loses the election.”
Keyword searches showed that Akpabio did not make such a statement in support of Tinubu, as no credible media outlet reported it.
As of Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, the post had gained over 351,000 views, 6,500 likes, and 3,800 reposts, and drew 722 comments from people calling on Northerners to be more decisive ahead of the upcoming election.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, another user @Bayo_bilisi (archived here) shared a screenshot of Peter Obi’s interview with Arise TV. In the picture was a text that read, “The Yoruba Muslims are not practising real Islam. Real Islam is being practised only in the North; that’s why the president should do Sallah in Sokoto or Kano.”
The post had garnered over 36,000 views, 563 likes, 181 reposts, and 101 comments.
We observed that different accounts shared the claim on X, here and here.
This claim emerged after Obi’s interview with Arise TV, where he discussed his plan to observe the Muslim festival if elected as president. The claim was also uploaded on Facebook, as seen here, here, and here.
However, we watched Arise TV’s interview with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate on the day the claim started spreading and found that Obi did not make such a statement. Alongside these findings, no newspaper reported that Obi made such degrading remarks against Yoruba Muslims.
Ahead of 2027, Seyi Tinubu, the incumbent president’s son, has been canvassing support for his father, assuring Nigerians of a better country under Tinubu’s administration. So it was no surprise when a post targeting Seyi claimed (archived here) emerged.
On Sept. 10, 2026, an X post by @ovue-yug claimed that Seyi would inherit the presidency and continue where Tinubu left off if anything happened to the Nigerian president.
As of Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2026, the post had 22,800 views, 343 likes, and 88 reposts as of Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
We observed over 266 comments under the post that targeted the president’s son, accusing him of undemocratic practices. Unknown to them, the said statement was falsely attributed to Seyi.
Firstly, Nigeria is a democratic state where elections are held before anyone can become president, and no law provides for succession as in a traditional setting. In addition, there is no proof that Seyi made the statement.
This disinformation pattern also circulated earlier in August, when an X user, @HighChiefOkoro, shared a post on Aug. 8, 2026, accusing Obi of telling soldiers to refuse a 50% wage increment the presidency approved until after the 2027 election.
Meanwhile, no credible media publication reported that Obi made such a statement.
Between Sept. 6 and 10, 2026, social media users published several false statements attributed to political party representatives ahead of the 2027 general election.
Unlike the usual practice of recirculating old videos, those fabricated statements were used to create new narratives, and social media users believed them.
Fake campaign invite messages on X
Alongside AI content disguised as real, we observed a new trend: staunch supporters of political candidates are beginning to upload screenshots of messages from opposition parties allegedly seeking campaign support.
The first we found on X was a screenshot post by @Xagreat (archived here), a stalwart supporter of Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The post included what appears to be a screenshot from an X chat that reads, “Hello Haruna, please can you join us here in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to promote the leadership of Tinubu. It’s not for free. Financial remuneration is involved. There are other opportunities ahead too. We love your consistency.”
As of Sept. 30, 2026, the post gained about 22,500 views, 338 likes, 101 reposts, and 68 comments.
Another user, @Exclusivejojo (archived here), supporting Peter Obi, shared a similar screenshot of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign offer with the caption, “I’m not interested, please. Peter Obi is coming.”
The post accumulated over 136,800 views, 5,800 likes, 1,600 reposts, and 235 comments as of Sept. 30, 2026.
A few hours later, another X user, Banty4them, a dedicated account supporting President Tinubu, as seen in most of her posts on X, shared (archived here) similar screenshots, but this time, the invite was for her to support the NDC political party on her page.
Along with the screenshots, she wrote, “This is the offer I just got from obidiots; should I take the offer?”
The post with over 11,800 views shows mixed comments. While some encouraged the user to reject the offer, others refuted the post as false.
In the third post, we noticed a disclaimer stating the message was created with Grok Imagine, an AI assistant.
Another red flag across the three posts was their similar wording, sentence structure, delivery time, and tone. The only difference between the sentences was the name used to address each user, a feature typical of an AI prompt.
Moreover, it is highly unlikely that different political parties will use the same public message, almost verbatim, unless it was fabricated.
Fake endorsements of political candidates
Early in April, a Facebook user shared an image (archived here) of Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate under the African Action Congress (AAC), shaking hands with President Tinubu. The post was captioned, “Tomorrow, he will organise another Kanu protest. See the hypocrite; I was informed that he is working with Tinubu and receiving huge sums.”
As of Sept. 30, 2026, the Facebook post had generated over 3,000 likes, 2,600 comments, and 744 reposts. We conducted a reverse image search, which did not return any similar authentic image of the duo. Next, we subjected the image to AI image detector tools, which showed signs of manipulation.
Results from a fake image detector tool showed that the image has a high percentage of computer-generated visuals, while Fauxlens found multiple AI properties.
In another fake endorsement post, an X user, @HonestNarrativ, shared (archived here) on Sept. 6, 2026, an image of Obi holding the hand of self-acclaimed activist Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, in solidarity.
The X user urged other social media users, especially ardent supporters of VeryDarkMan, to vote for Obi in the 2027 general election, suggesting the image was an endorsement.
“Breaking News. Our Ratels president VDM has asked all the members of the Ratels movement to vote for Mr Peter Obi in the upcoming presidential Election in 2027,” the X user wrote.
As of Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, the post had earned 96,000 views, 2,600 likes, and 523 reposts.
We conducted a reverse image search. The result showed VDM’s image was from his attendance at the 2026 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Rivers State. The image of Obi was a random picture the media used in reporting issues related to him.
Because the images come from different incidents, we ran the collage through AI detector tools. AI.vigilai and FauxLens showed a high probability that the image contained AI-generated properties.
Fabricated newspaper front pages
In a more recent disinformation trend, two different X accounts, @HighChiefOkoro (archived here) and @Bayo_Bilisi (archived here), shared a PM newspaper’s front page with a bold headline and Obi’s image. The headline read, “How I was cured of madness, Peter Obi, Anambra Gov gives testimony in Church.”
As of Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, the first post had garnered over 30,900 views and 24,500 likes, while the other post amassed over 24,800 views, 451 likes, and 194 reposts.
Another user, @Sistalino, also shared the same newspaper front page.
A few hours after the headline circulated, Obi’s supporters retaliated by sharing the same newspaper front-page template, replacing it with President Tinubu’s image. In one post, X user @Uno_009 shared(achieved here) the fabricated front page, which garnered over 19,300 views, 945 likes, and 706 reposts as of Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.
After carefully reviewing the graphic, we found that the newspaper front pages were not authentic. AI. Vigilai and FlaxLens analysed the images and indicated they contain AI-generated elements.
We also found a PM News report that debunked the viral front page. The news outlet clarified that the original photograph was replaced with a photograph of Obi, and the name on the newspaper’s rider was also changed to Obi’s name.
We also saw another newspaper headline supporting the drug-controversy narrative targeting President Tinubu. Facebook users started sharing an alleged PM News newspaper front page from 1999 with a bold headline that reads, “How I Became a Drug Abuser & Trafficker- Gov Tinubu of Lagos State.”
Meanwhile, PM News has distanced itself from the viral newspaper graphics, calling them AI-generated.
Fabricated letters to discredit political candidates
DUBAWA also observed a pattern among social media users portraying political candidates as incompetent. In a more recent activity, on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2016, we noticed letters circulated on social media, particularly X, from supporters of both President Tinubu and Obi.
In the lead-up to the election, controversies linked to Obi’s financial tenure as Governor of Anambra State surfaced. Leveraging this, supporters of the opposition party on X started sharing a letter purportedly written by Peter Obi to the Obi (King) of Onitsha.
X Users shared here (archived here) and here (archived here) a letter allegedly written to the Obi of Onitsha, appealing to him to intervene in his ongoing financial records controversy in Anambra State.
However, Obi issued a disclaimer on X the same day, refuting the viral letter as fake. Part of the post reads, “DISCLAIMER: Fake Letter Circulating in My Name. My attention has been drawn to a fake letter circulating on social media, purportedly written by me to His Majesty, Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, concerning political and financial matters in Anambra State.”
“This document is entirely false, malicious, and a fabrication by mischievous elements aimed at misleading the public. Furthermore, the signature appended to the letter is completely forged.”
In retaliation, Obi supporters on X (archived here) and here (archived here) shared a letter from Tinubu to the President of the United States of America, urging caution in handling his FBI case.
Another separate letter claimed (archived here) Tinubu wrote to the Oba of Lagos State, in which he allegedly admitted that he had already lost the election and promised to frustrate the main opposition ahead of the election.
Firstly, we checked official letters signed by the presidency and found that the signatures do not match any of the letters allegedly claiming to originate from President Tinubu.
We also checked the APC’s official X handle and compared the signatory section of the press release with the one the claimant uploaded. DUBAWA observed that most posts containing press releases have no signature; instead, they end with the name of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.
Moreover, no news outlets reported such letters attributed to the presidency.
False narratives deepening ethnic and religious intolerance
After reviewing the trends, we observed that one of the tactics disinformation actors use is attributing false claims to incite ethnic and religious violence among candidates and parties.
Nigeria has an estimated population of over 239 million people and 371 ethnic groups. As a result of this diversity, disinformation actors are exploiting the existing fragile ethnic tolerance in the country to push disinformation ahead of the election.
For instance, we saw insightful comments under the earlier discussed false post ascribed to Akpabio, in which he claimed that Northerners will suffer if President Tinubu loses the election.
Some comments under the post incited Northerners to take action. One comment by @BasilInnoc42124 reads, “Hausa Nation, stand up; let us fight this APC fight together, or you will cry.”
Another user, @UbSienze, stated, “I hope the North can now see and understand which politicians really hate them?”
In confidence, @vian337 wrote, “I trust my northern brothers.”
Similarly, the fabricated statement linked to Peter Obi claiming that Yoruba Muslims are not practising Islam well also attracted similar comments.
An X user, @MuritalaYussuf, wrote, “This one must never be president because he’s gonna be a good servant to the North.”
Another reads, Beere_ade_70, “He is deliberately speaking against southern Muslims to make the North feel important.”
@UbSienze wrote, “This is even to your loss. You will be losing the Yoruba Christians and Northern Muslims from one reckless move. So I beg you to push this harder.”
A preview of the comment section suggests that such a false narrative goes beyond disinformation; it is intended to incite the already existing ethnic and religious violence in the country.
In another claim shared by @Princeujay (archived here) on Sept. 13, 2026, an altered image of Archbishop Leonard Nature wearing a cap with President Tinubu’s insignia was shared with a caption, “Bishop that needs to be given money before advocating for good governance, na Bishop?”
The claim, which aimed to push a narrative that Christian leaders are canvassing support for President Tinubu for monetary gains, circulated weeks after Tinubu met with members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, where they discussed issues around poverty and insecurity.
A reverse image search revealed that the picture was taken in 2024 during a visit by members of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Disinformation peddlers are not just sharing hate speech; they are attributing false information to political candidates, shaping citizens’ perceptions and ultimately affecting electoral participation.
How disinformation travels
During this trend analysis, DUBAWA observed that most fabricated and manipulated political posts on social media originate from a particular account before other accounts amplify them.
To understand how this information travels, we monitored some of these posts for weeks to understand the amplification methods.
For instance, the claim that Obi allegedly said that the Yoruba Muslims are not practising real Islam started circulating on Sept. 10, 2026. Our analysis found that a pro-Tinubu supporter shared the earliest version that same day. The following day, Facebook users started sharing the post (see here, here, and here).
The Akpabio-fabricated graphical statement started on X, then moved to Facebook (here and here). At the same time, users on TikTok also shared the post (here, here, and here).
Overall, DUBAWA observed that some of these politically motivated disinformation claims come from X, one of the most popular platforms for political conversations in Nigeria. Active actors on X create and share disinformation to align with their ideals, and most of these claims appear as images or graphics to lend credibility to false statements.
On Facebook, these news cards are copied and recycled in captions, along with images of the alleged person who made the statement.
On TikTok, users share claims in the form of videos, giving their opinions in support of or against the said claim.
West African democracy at a crossroads
Beyond Nigeria, the AI disinformation pandemic extends to other West African countries like Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, which have experienced similar patterns before, during, and after elections.
Research shows that elections across West Africa have seen AI disinformation take new forms, shaping other forms of disinformation ahead of elections, undermining democracy, and eroding public trust in the electoral process.
For instance, during Ghana’s presidential election, the country experienced a wave of AI disinformation targeting major political actors and institutions. An analysis by the Ghana fact-checking coalition shows that the disinformation trends had party-related and security-related themes. Others targeted candidates’ reputations and election integrity and showed patterns similar to those Nigeria is experiencing in the lead-up to election periods.
Similarly, ahead of the Côte d’Ivoire election, the country witnessed a deluge of AI disinformation, with different social media accounts sharing fake videos of an alleged military coup, among other AI-generated political content.
Nigeria is also facing a barrage of AI-generated disinformation as the election gets closer. We observed various patterns and trends of disinformation on Facebook, TikTok, and particularly X, which has become a hub for political discussion and analysis.
Experts weigh in
Caleb Ijioma, Round Check’s Executive Director, told DUBAWA that existing distrust in Nigeria’s electoral process and the institution responsible for conducting elections is creating an environment where false information can thrive ahead of elections.
“The problem is not only that false information can deceive individual voters, but it can also contribute to a broader environment of distrust in candidates, institutions, and the electoral process itself,” he said.
On the impact on voters’ perspective, he said false narratives can also affect how voters perceive political candidates. He explained that misleading or contradictory information makes it difficult for voters to determine what a candidate actually stands for or whether the candidate can be held accountable.
Finally, he said that Nigerians’ growing ability to use AI has made it easy to push false narratives without being detected, which can lead to violence and disinformation used to help politicians score political points.
DUBAWA also spoke with Sanusi Sanusi, a research analyst at the Digital Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DAIDAC). He stated that social media users are weaponising disinformation to set an agenda. They steer conversations away from substantive issues, affecting citizens’ motivation to take necessary actions.
“Nigerians are reaching a point of fatigue where the confusion of not knowing what to believe is making them doubt everything,” he stated.
He further advised journalists to be cautious of AI-generated visuals, political actors, and, most importantly, politicians who will hide behind AI to avoid accountability.
“So instead of facing up to something they did, they might just claim it is AI, and sometimes it would be difficult to verify, throwing citizens into confusion,” he pointed out.