The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has accused the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, of plotting to discredit the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna.
In a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson for the APC presidential campaign council, Dele Alake, alleged that Atiku and the ADC plan to circulate fake news, doctored videos, deepfakes and counterfeit documents to undermine the rally.
The APC is scheduled to flag off its presidential campaign in Kaduna on Saturday.
Alake said the alleged disinformation campaign began with the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.
He alleged that the photograph was used to suggest that security personnel had been deployed to protect the party’s billboards, adding that Atiku subsequently shared a report on the issue on his social media accounts.
The APC spokesperson also accused the former vice-president and the ADC of circulating a purported letter from Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, to Abdulaziz Yari, director-general of the APC presidential campaign council.
The alleged letter claimed that the Kaduna state government released N2.3 trillion to host the rally.
Alake dismissed the claim as false, arguing that the amount exceeded the state’s combined budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
“We are still at a loss as to how anyone can imagine and concoct this senseless and utterly baseless lie that defies logic and basic common sense. How much is the entire annual revenue of Kaduna State, or any state, for that matter, that a state would spend N2.3 trillion to host a rally?” Alake asked.
He said the APC expects the alleged disinformation campaign to continue during the rally, including through the circulation of old footage, doctored videos and deepfakes.
“It is a fact that Atiku Abubakar and the ADC, his special-purpose vehicle, are incapable of winning any election. They will pull any strings, no matter how despicable and atrocious, to stay afloat in their desperate bid to grab power at all costs,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing same and warned against the circulation of misleading content.
