The Presidency has refuted allegations that a photograph showing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris was created using artificial intelligence, describing such claims as inaccurate and deceptive.
The rebuttal was issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, in response to widespread media coverage and social media reactions questioning the image’s authenticity.
According to the Presidency, the photograph, which was shared by Presidential spokesman Mr. Bayo Onanuga on his Facebook page, is authentic and was taken during an official meeting between the two leaders in Paris on Sunday.
“The narrative that the picture of Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame taken in Paris yesterday was AI generated is not correct,” Ajayi said in a statement. “The media report and social media comments that followed are misrepresentations of facts.”
Ajayi explained that Presidents Tinubu and Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, had lunch together, and later joined French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same day.
He noted that the image was captured with a mobile phone, which initially affected its quality. He added that digital tools were later used to enhance the picture’s clarity, stressing that this process does not mean the image was AI-generated.
“The picture is real and not AI generated as claimed. The photographer only later used Grok to improve the picture quality. That is not a reason to conclude it was AI generated,” he stated.
Ajayi criticised reports that labelled the photograph as fake, saying journalists and editors ought to have sought clarification before reaching such conclusions.
“The writer or editor should have asked questions before this wrong conclusion,” he added.
The Presidency also advised the media and the public to verify information carefully and avoid spreading claims capable of misleading the public.