APC accuses Atiku, ADC of plot to discredit Tinubu’s Kaduna campaign flag-off

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and his African Democratic Congress (ADC) of conspiring to undermine their presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna. The APC Presidential Campaign Council alleged in a statement on Saturday that the opposition intended to spread false information, AI-generated content, and deepfake videos to discredit the event. Dele Alake, the spokesman for the council, revealed this ahead of the flag-off.

Alake claimed that the opposition crafted misleading narratives and manipulated reports to sway public opinion against the APC leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani. He pointed out a photograph of a security vehicle near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna, stating the opposition misrepresented it as proof of security measures to protect APC billboards.

Furthermore, the APC council accused the opposition of disseminating a supposed letter from Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani to Sen. Abdulaziz Yari, the Director-General of the campaign council. This letter purportedly revealed that the state government had allocated N2.3 trillion to host the rally, which the council dismissed as implausible and baseless, as the state's annual budgets for 2024, 2025, and 2026 totalled less than N2.3 trillion.

Alake also warned that the opposition planned to distribute old, altered, and deepfake videos during the rally to create the illusion of public discontent. He urged Nigerians to reject what they called "disinformation" and called for vigilance against misleading content circulating online and in the media.