Claim: The chairman of the APC said he does not underestimate Peter Obi’s ability to lead his people to victory.
The APC chairman in an appearance on Arise News TV said he does not doubt the ability of Peter Obi to lead his people to victory.
Full Text
As the 2023 election draws near, political actors continue to make appearances on television stations to speak about issues pertaining to their party and the election.
Recently, the screenshot of a tweet with the claim that the National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu, praised the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, went viral.
The statement attributed to the national chairman in the screenshot reads “I visited Peter Obi when he was Anambra State Governor and he means well for Nigeria, so I have no reason whatsoever to underestimate his ability to lead his people to victory.”
The screenshot which did not show the Twitter account that shared it suggested this was from a program on Arise News Television.
Pre-election period is a critical period because the words of politicians can be twisted or taken out of context to favour one party over another, hence the need for this verification.
The screenshot was also shared with DUBAWA for verification.
Verification
We traced and found the original tweet by OlisaemekalumOrakwyelumOdujwe (@ddukehmslf).
In the comment section of this tweet, a Twitter user, Edena MD (@edanamoris), requested the source of the claim, “Source please,” he commented.
Another user (@Tovincetokwy) commented that if there is an actual video of the chairman making this statement, it should be taken down as this can be used against “them.”
Responding to the first user, Will (@Free_dom237), provided a link to a YouTube video by Arise News.
“Here is the link to the video. Enjoy,” he tweeted.
The tweet has so far garnered 1,032 retweets, 38 quote tweets, and 2,707 likes.
A keyword search led to reports by the Daily Post, Legit, and top Naija with this claim, quoting the same interview by Arise News.
DUBAWA, therefore, visited Arise News YouTube page looking to find a recent interview with the chairman of the APC. We found a 59-minute interview on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
The video titled “I am not aware the APC lost in Osun” addressed issues on the outcome of the Osun election and its influence on the 2023 general election.
At about 31 minutes into the interview, the chairman was asked if he saw the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and LP as a threat. In his response, he said he does not underestimate the ability of both parties or their candidates to lead their people to victory.
“Peter Obi, I knew him when he was governor of Anambra State. I visited him when I was governor, and these are people that mean well as far as I am concerned. From their outburst, they mean well.
“They are well grounded, I don’t have doubts on that so I have no reason whatsoever to underestimate their ability to lead their people, to lead their party to victory but I am telling you that we are better organised…” Mr Adamu said.
Conclusion
Our findings show that the APC chairman actually said he does not doubt the ability of Peter Obi or any opposition party to lead his people to victory. He made this statement during an appearance on Arise News TV but noted his party is better organised to win the 2023 election.