Claim: A user on WhatsApp claims that Barack Obama, the former President of the United States, unveiled a banner of Rochas Okorocha’s 2023 presidential campaign to mark his support.
The claim that Barack Obama, the former President of the United States, unveiled a banner of Rochas Okorocha’s 2023 presidential campaign to show his support is false. The alleged video was doctored from an actual video of Obama unveiling a portrait of himself at the Smithsonian Institute back in 2018.
Full Text
A video making rounds on WhatsApp has a claim that former President of the United States, Barack Obama, has unveiled a banner of Nigerian politician Rochas Okorocha’s 2023 presidential campaign to show his support.
The 30 seconds video clip depicts Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, seated in what appears to be a public gathering. Soon after, the former president was welcomed on stage to unveil an alleged portrait of Rochas Okorocha’s 2023 presidential campaign.
Rochas Okorocha is a senator representing Imo West Senatorial district at the 9th Nigerian Senate. He is also the former governor of Imo State, who has several times contested for the presidency.
Although the source of the video could not be traced, Rochas Okorocha’s campaign website is boldly inscribed on the acclaimed portrait.
The relationship between politicians shares no bounds. However, this particular banner unveiled by Obama in support for Rochas was questioned by multiple users on WhatsApp. “This video is edited abeg. Obama does not even know who Rochas is,” one user wrote in a WhatsApp group.
Similar questions in different forms ensued, but in summary, they all seem to seek one answer. Did Obama really unveil a banner of Rochas to show his support for him?
Verification
DUBAWA uncovered that the alleged video was doctored to fit into the acclaimed narrative. While it was true that Obama was at an event and unveiled a portrait, analysis of video on InVid video verifier showed it was not the campaign banner of Rochas Okorocha but a portrait of Obama that was presented to him in 2018 at the Smithsonian Institute.
The actual unveiling event was covered and shared on the Smithsonian Institute YouTube page with the detail:
“The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery unveils its commissioned portraits of former President Barack Obama and Mrs. Michelle Obama by artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively. Remarks by President Obama and Mrs. Obama, Smithsonian Secretary David Skorton, National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet and artists Wiley and Sherald.”
Conclusion
The alleged video of Obama showing support for Rochas Okorocha’s 2023 presidential aspiration is fake. The clip was doctored, and it is not in any way related to Rochas or his political aspirations.
