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Claim: An X user shared an image showing President Tinubu and Peter Obi shaking hands, suggesting a partnership.
Verdict: Misleading! The image used to represent the duo was initially taken in the State House when India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, visited Nigeria for strategic partnership performance on Nov. 16 – 17, 2024. Meanwhile, no reputable news outlet reported the presence of former presidential candidate and Labour Party’s 2023 party flagbearer Peter Obi at the State House visit.
Full Text
President Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi were major contenders for the top political seat in the country in the 2023 general election. However, Mr Tinubu, an All Progressives Congress stalwart, polled 37 per cent of the total votes cast to emerge Nigeria’s 16th president, ahead of Labour Party’s Obi, who had garnered only 25 per cent.
However, since the election’s outcome, supporters of the two-time former state governors have pitted themselves against each other and tried to portray the rival candidate’s political incompetence.
An X user, @adabanpegede, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, shared a picture showing President Tinubu and Mr Obi shaking hands over a certificate the latter is holding.
Attached to the shared images was the Yoruba phrase “Akinyeye na fe joye, ni ile yi ko ni ile biyafraud ni,” meaning, “A worthless person wants to become a leader. Not in this land. It’s only possible where in Biyafraud.”
As of Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, the post has attracted about 207 views, 10 likes and three comments.
Due to the opposing political relationship between the two politicians and to curb disinformation, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected the picture to a Google Reverse Image Search. The result linked us to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomatic visit to Abuja in November 2024.
During the visit, Mr Modi met with President Tinubu, who shook hands with the septuagenarian and wore him a cloth sash before he was later awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON). Premium Times also reported a similar development.
Furthermore, we came across a photo publication by the Indian High Commission, Abuja.
However, we noticed that the images taken of President Tinubu and his Indian guest resemble those shared by the claimant in which President Tinubu and Mr Obi are engaged in a handshake.
We also checked President Tinubu’s official X handle, where we discovered a post shared on Nov. 17, 2024, with similar pictures featuring Mr Modi.
DUBAWA discovered via a Punch report that the two leaders’ meeting was to discuss and sign several bilateral agreements to strengthen ties between Nigeria and India.
We conducted keyword searches to know if Mr Obi was attending the meeting but saw no relevant results to the inquiry. Moreover, we checked Mr Obi’s X handle and saw no post linked to the meeting.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings reveal that the images showing President Tinubu with Mr Obi have been digitally altered to create a false narrative.
