The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has accused Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), of attempting to discredit the party’s campaign flag-off in Kaduna through “subterfuge and mindless propaganda”.
In a statement on Saturday, Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC presidential campaign council, alleged that Atiku and the ADC planned 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 create the impression that security personnel had been deployed to protect the party’s billboards. He added that Atiku subsequently shared a report on the issue through his social media accounts.
The APC spokesperson also accused the former vice-president and the ADC of circulating a purported letter from Uba Sani, Kaduna State governor, to Abdulaziz Yari, director-general of the APC presidential campaign council.
The alleged letter claimed that the Kaduna State Government had 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 expected 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.
Alake urged Nigerians to verify information before sharing it and warned against circulating misleading content.