The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of plotting to discredit the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday.
The council alleged that Atiku and the ADC had deployed what it described as a coordinated disinformation campaign involving fake news, artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents aimed at tarnishing the image of President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake.
According to Alake, the alleged campaign began with the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near one of the APC campaign billboards in Kaduna metropolis.
He alleged that Atiku and the ADC propaganda machinery distorted the incident by claiming that security personnel had been deployed to protect APC billboards, before the story was published by a national newspaper which, he claimed, was known for its “anti-government and anti-APC editorial stance.”
Alake further alleged that Atiku subsequently shared the report on his official social media platforms in what he described as a coordinated effort to generate public attention and online trends.
He said another purportedly fake document was later circulated online, allegedly showing a letter from Governor Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, concerning the release of N2.3 trillion by the Kaduna State Government to host the rally.
Describing the claim as “senseless and utterly baseless,” Alake questioned how Kaduna State could spend N2.3 trillion on a political rally when the figure was higher than the state’s annual budget.
“For context, the combined Kaduna State budgets for 2024 (N458.271 billion), 2025 (N790.439 billion), and 2026 (N985.9 billion) are still less than N2.3 trillion,” he said.
The APC campaign council spokesperson also alleged that more old, doctored and deepfake videos could be circulated during the rally to create the impression that the event was being rejected by residents.
“We hereby use this opportunity to alert the general public about this malicious and ignoble plan,” Alake said.
He accused Atiku and the ADC of being desperate to gain political power, alleging that they would resort to “any strings, no matter how despicable and atrocious,” to advance their political ambitions.
Alake urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject what he described as attempts to manipulate public opinion through disinformation.
