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Claim: An X user, @mahbeel_A, claimed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members have agreed to pick Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, as the party’s presidential flag-bearer in the 2027 general elections.
Verdict: False! The former vice president’s spokesperson dismissed the claim as untrue. Additionally, the pictures attached to the post date back to 2022.
Full Text
Barely 18 months after the 2023 general elections, which ushered President Bola Tinubu into power, political permutations have already started for the 2027 elections.
Recently, Mr Tinubu made headlines for saying he is not yet thinking about the 2027 elections but is focused on restructuring the economy to benefit the people.
After his remark, prominent figures in the All Progressives Congress (APC) vowed to support his re-election in 2027.
In another development, reports of a proposed alliance between Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) ahead of the country’s next general election are also gaining weight in some quarters.
Mr Kwankwaso recently indicated his willingness to serve as Mr Obi’s running mate, which attracted criticism from the opposition.
Amid the political calculations ongoing for the 2027 election, an X user who appeared to be a staunch supporter of the PDP claimed Mr Abubakar and his team have declared support for Bala Mohammed as the party’s presidential candidate.
The user attached pictures showing Mr Abubakar and Mr Mohammed, the incumbent governor of Bauchi State, in a friendly visit to portray the content of his post.
Several X users have recently reshared the same pictures on Facebook with different narratives, as seen here and here.
Due to the claim’s sensitivity and potential impact, DUBAWA decided to investigate it to ascertain its veracity.
Verification
A quick reverse image search of the images the X user shared showed that they were taken as far back as 2022. The pictures were taken when Mr Mohammed and some stakeholders in the PDP paid a courtesy visit to Mr Abubakar.
The pictures taken at the time were posted here, here, and here. Before the visit, there were unconfirmed reports that Mr Mohammed was planning to withdraw his support from Mr Abubakar’s presidential bid ahead of the 2023 elections.
Therefore, the visit was to play down the rumours and establish that Mr Mohammed was behind Mr Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 election.
To verify the claim further, DUBAWA spoke with Paul Ibe, a spokesperson for Mr Abubakar, who described it as untrue.
He explained that his principal was focused on settling the party’s rifts, as opposed to the X user’s suggestion.
Mr Ibe said the X user might have posted that as a clickbait and urged the public to disregard it. He also clarified that no such proposition had been discussed and added that Atiku’s team had yet to reach any conclusion on the matter as claimed.
“Some users on Twitter might be looking for clicks. You cannot be dependent on such information. He is in the process of trying to ensure that everybody is on the same page and unite the party. How can he talk about a candidate?
“It is just like saying a woman has given birth even when she has not yet conceived. It is ridiculous. I believe that what the leaders of the party are focused on is trying to see how they can mend all broken fences before talking about a candidate. He cannot have that kind of conversation now, as it will further polarise the party. Just discount that information,” he said.
Conclusion
The claim that Mr Abubakar and the PDP caucus have agreed to field Mr Mohammed as the PDP presidential candidate for the 2027 election is false. The pictures accompanying the claim have also been online since 2022.