Photo source: The BBC
Claim 16
CLAIM: A Twitter user DrUmaru_AJ (@Princeujay), alleged Ekiti election results were uploaded as far back as February 20.
FINDING: Election result details seen on INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) show the result for Ekiti was uploaded on Sunday, February 26, 2023.
We also observed that the image shared with this tweet does not look like INEC’s IReV portal.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: IReV
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 15
CLAIM: Viral video shared by Blessing Okagbare (@mountain214) claims INEC erased election results at 7am today from their portal.
FINDING: NFC visited INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and found election results are still available on the portal. The current figure shows 45,886 results have been submitted for 176,846 polling units.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: IReV
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 14
CLAIM: Viral WhatsApp message and Igbo Times Magazine on Facebook claim former President Olusegun Obasanjo stormed INEC’s collation centre in Abuja with election results from the 36 states in Nigeria.
FINDING: A Premium Times reporter at the collation centre, Qosim Suleiman, noted that the former president was not there. He also shared picture evidence of what the collation centre looks like currently, revealing those present.
A reverse image search also showed one of the images shared via Twitter was from a meeting between Atiku and Obasanjo reported by Channels Television. The collation of results is still ongoing.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Premium Times reporter and Reverse image search
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 13
CLAIM: A Twitter user @ChigozielAlex claimed that the election did not hold in Awo-Omamma, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State, yet election results have been uploaded.
FINDING: The CODE Observer in Imo State, Chigoziri Osuji, confirmed to NFC that the claim is true as no election was conducted at the location; however, results were uploaded. CJID Observer Igwe Ugochukwu in Imo State also confirmed that the election didn’t occur due to a sit-at-home order.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: CODE Observer, CJID
DATE: 26/02/23
Claim 12
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Quinn (@Quinn_Tweets), shared an image showing the Labour Party is leading the polls by 36%, followed by the PDP by 27% and the APC by 24%.
FINDING: A reverse image search shows a screenshot of an opinion poll conducted on January 27, 2023, by Nextier. The viral image was shared after cropping parts showing it is a pre-election poll. The poll was shared by Nextier on Twitter on February 5, 2023. Figures from INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) show otherwise.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Nextier
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 11
CLAIM: There have been viral claims that Prof Pat Utomi, a Labour Party Chieftain, was held hostage by thugs at a collation centre in Victoria Island, Lagos state.
FINDING: Labour party spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, has debunked the claim. Similarly, PPRO Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, told the NFC that he was unaware of the situation. Prof. Pat Utomi also confirmed that “he is fine” and described the claim as false.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Prof Pat Utomi, Yunusa Tanko, Benjamin Hundeyin.
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 10
CLAIM: A Twitter account, PDP New Media (PDP_NEWMEDIA), claimed that the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has secured 25% in about 25 states.
FINDING: There has not been an official announcement of results by INEC at the national collation centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. At the state level, only results from Ekiti State have been announced so far as of 2.15 pm. when this fact check was filed.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Media reports
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 9
CLAIM: An online post claims that the Labour Party (LP) has called for the cancellation of the ongoing presidential election as INEC cannot upload results from the polling units into its server.
FINDING: LP, in a press release on its website, condemned the delay, but the party did not seek cancellation of the results.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Labour Party’s website
DATE: 26/2/2023
Claim 8
CLAIM: Reno Omokri posted a graphic on his Instagram page claiming the PDP presidential candidate is leading with 25% in 25 states.
FINDING: INEC is yet to post conclusive results on the presidential elections. INEC’s National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, told Channels TV at 3:45 pm on Sunday that the electoral body will announce the full presidential election results at the national collation centre in Abuja.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCE: INEC, Channels TV
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 7
CLAIM: A viral report claimed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stormed the residence of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), during the elections.
FINDING: When contacted, Wilson Uwajuren, the spokesperson of the EFCC, told the NFC that the agency only deployed officials to the polling stations to monitor the elections and did not visit the house of any candidate. Also, Labour Party spokesperson, Yunusa Tanko, debunked the claim. We also found that the photo was that of EFCC officials’ visit to Ward C, PU 085 Alausa, Ikeja, on Saturday.
VERDICT: INCORRECT.
SOURCE: EFCC’s spokesperson, LP PCC spokesperson, Media report.
DATE: 26-02-2023
Claim 6
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Niyi Akinsiju, with the username @Agbaakinlmodoye, claimed APC has won four local government areas in Lagos state.
FINDING: A check on the INEC IReV portal by the NFC shows that the results posted by Akinsiju were misleading as the electoral body is yet to collate results for all the Wards/RA in the mentioned local government areas: Alimosho, Ikeja, Ajeromi-Ifelodun, and Amuwo Odofin.
VERDICT: MISLEADING.
SOURCE: INEC IReV portal, Media Observer.
DATE: 26-02-2023
Claim 5
CLAIM: A viral claim circulated by social media users on WhatsApp and Twitter claims that INEC has extended elections in 16 states.
FINDING: Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, clarified that the news is not from the commission.
Additionally, INEC’s National Chairman on voter’s education, Festus Okoye, debunked the news as fake. He stated that “INEC did not extend the voting period in 16 States. The narrative is fake, and the public should disregard it entirely.”
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 4
CLAIM: A claim circulates on WhatsApp with results that APC and PDP are leading in Kwara, Ekiti, Osun, Ogun and Oyo states with 6,111,796 and 4,367,845, respectively.
FINDING: Results in the aforementioned states are still being collated, and the final results are yet to be announced. Also, updates from multiple news platforms did not support this claim.
VERDICT: Misleading.
SOURCE: Multiple news sources.
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 3
CLAIM: A Twitter user, Comrade Moh (@I_Am_marwa), claims Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, Labour Party VP candidate, was voted only by his wife and children at his polling unit.
FINDING: The LP VC polling unit is 021 at Tudun Wada ward in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Based on reports by Punch Newspaper and TheCable, there were 272 accredited voters at the polling unit.
PDP won the polling unit with 102 votes, followed by the APC with 98 votes, while LP came third with 54 votes, and the NNPP secured 11 votes.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Punch and TheCable Newspapers
DATE: 26/02/2023
Claim 2
CLAIM: An APC supporter @Tinubufrontier claimed Bola Tinubu had won about seven local government areas in Yobe State.
FINDING: Anna Charles, a media observer affiliated with the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), told the NFC that the results bandied around on social media were false as official results had yet to be compiled at the collation centre. She also said results from polling units showed PDP was in the early lead across various categories in the state.
VERDICT: INCORRECT.
SOURCE: CJID Observer
DATE: 26-02-2023
Claim 1
CLAIM: An APC supporter @DOlusegun claimed TheCable’s report on LP performance at Gbajabiamila’s polling unit is false.
FINDING: Our findings showed that the result uploaded by TheCable Newspaper is for the presidential election in which the Labour Party polled 89 as against the APC’s 69. A journalist affiliated with the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development confirmed this to the NFC.
The social media user confused it with the result of the Senatorial election, where the APC topped the chart.
VERDICT: Misleading. Tinubu did not win at Gbajabiamila’s PU.
SOURCE: Media Observer, News report.
DATE: 26-02-2023
This live-check was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Faith Abeka, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab); Daniel Adaji (The Insight); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Lois Ugbede, Cole Praise, Silas Jonathan, Lateef Sanni (DUBAWA); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Seyi Awojuyigbe, Fatimah Abubakar, Abisola Olasupo (Africa Check); Rejoice Ewodage, Hannah Ajakaiye (FactsMatterNG), Shehu Olayinka and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).
It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Caroline Anipah, Simbiat Bakare (DUBAWA), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat, and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub).
Wow,
All fact checker are from same ethnic background.
It reminds me that the others are not good enough with statistics, data or honesty.
If in such an ethno-religious sensitive demography, you didn’t see the need balance ethnic backgrounds in your HR that means you cannot be taken seriously
Your pudding, has a sour taste.
I Am Me;
How can all the supposed fact checkers come from same ethnic background.
It reminds me that the others are not good enough with statistics, data or honesty.
If in such an ethno-religious sensitive demography, you didn’t see the need balance ethnic backgrounds in your HR that means you cannot be taken seriously
I won’t be surprised when you start singing a song that glorifies thiefnubu
Your pudding, has a sour taste.