Africa Check explains the 10 types of false information in the campaigns they\u2019ve spotted so far in the #NigeriaDecides2023 Elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nigeria\u2019s 2023 elections are only weeks away<\/a>. Voters are set to pick a president and members of the national assembly on 25 February, and governors and state assemblies two weeks later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As campaigning hits the home stretch, false political narratives aren\u2019t far behind. The stories have affected candidates, parties \u2013 and the electoral process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The elections are seen as<\/a> the most important in Nigeria\u2019s democratic history. And over the past few months Africa Check has fact-checked a lot of information<\/a> about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here we pick out 10 trends in election disinformation<\/a> \u2013 false information spread deliberately \u2013 identified in our reports. Africa Check has also helped<\/a> expose this disinformation as a member of the Nigerian Fact-checkers\u2019 Coalition<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The perceived frontrunners<\/a> in the race for the presidency are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A notable trend is quotes falsely attributed to politicians and past presidents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most \u201cattributed\u201d is former president Olusegun Obasanjo<\/a>. Well known for weighing in on public debate, including penning open letters on the state of the nation, Obasanjo governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many quotes attributed to Obasanjo are about the Labour Party\u2019s Obi. Obasanjo endorsed Obi in January 2023<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Months before the endorsement, quotes falsely attributed to Obasanjo did the rounds online. One has him vouching for Obi\u2019s integrity<\/a>. In another, Obasanjo appears to claim that getting Obi into the presidency would reduce<\/a> violence and insecurity in Nigeria<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Obasanjo has also been falsely quoted as saying Nigerians should arm themselves with guns<\/a> if the elections turn violent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another popular target is Nigeria\u2019s Nobel laureate<\/a> Wole Soyinka. In one false quote, Soyinka appears to back<\/a> Kwankwaso, the NNPP candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abubakar<\/a> of the PDP hasn\u2019t been spared either. One false quote has him saying<\/a>: \u201cPeter Obi is giving me worries, I can\u2019t even campaign in south East again because he has taken over.\u201d There is no evidence<\/a> Abubakar said this. And he\u2019s campaigned in the southeast<\/a>, seen as<\/a> an Obi stronghold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Information minister Lai Mohammed has also been a target of false quotes. One is that he said<\/a> Obi was the \u201cbrain behind the #ENDSARS protests<\/a>\u201d that rocked Nigeria in 2020. The ministry has refuted this<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The size of a crowd a candidate can attract is often a source of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As in previous elections, candidates and their supporters have compared the attendance at their rallies. The narrative is that the candidate with the biggest crowd has the best chance of winning the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So prevalent is this view \u2013 seen elsewhere in Africa<\/a> \u2013 that academics have weighed in<\/a>. It\u2019s also led to the development of tools to estimate the size of crowds<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Nigeria, photos of crowds<\/a> at an unrelated event are often passed<\/a> off as showing a recent campaign crowd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Photos of huge crowds from 2019 were, for example, posted with the false claim they showed<\/a> Abubakar\u2019s August 2022 visit to Kano, a northern swing state<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The captions to crowd photos may be false. But politicians do rent crowds<\/a> to give a false impression of their popularity. That\u2019s what Kamilu Fage, a professor of political science at Bayero University<\/a> in Kano state told Africa Check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Misinformation, or false information spread unintentionally<\/a>, and disinformation are rampant in Nigerian politics, Fage said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith those large crowds, they make their supporters believe they will win the election,\u201d Fage said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen the outcome of the election shows otherwise, they claim the election was manipulated and this often ends up in crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three of the four presidential frontrunners are former state governors. Tinubu, the APC candidate, was governor of Lagos<\/a> state. The Labour Party\u2019s Obi governed Anambra<\/a> state. Kwankwaso of the NNPP ran Kano<\/a> state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To burnish their presidential credentials, some of the candidates and their camps have claimed achievements as governors. Some of these assertions have turned out to be either false or misleading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, Kwankwaso and his supporters have claimed that in his two terms as governor he had not borrowed a dime. He also claimed he had repaid all Kano state debt. We rated both claims as incorrect<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tinubu\u2019s supporters have also exaggerated his contribution<\/a> to the financial growth of Lagos state, the country\u2019s economic hub. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporters have often circulated photos and videos of prominent people across the globe appearing to endorse their candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obi\u2019s supporters have been particularly active here, perhaps unsurprisingly, given their youth<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We have debunked several fake endorsements of the Labour Party candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obi has supposedly been given the support of US billionaires Elon Musk<\/a> and Larry Ellisson<\/a>, US comedian Steve Harvey<\/a>, Egyptian footballer Mohammed Salah<\/a>, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks<\/a>, Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo<\/a>, and the Chinese government<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In late 2022 a manipulated video<\/a> seemingly showing a host of Hollywood stars campaigning for Obi also did the rounds on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve also debunked fake support for Tinubu. As early as January 2020, a manipulated photo of Nigerian footballer Mikel Obi supposedly endorsing Tinubu<\/a> for president in 2023 circulated online. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In December 2022, another viral photo appeared to show Tinubu meeting US president<\/a> Joe Biden. The central claim was that the US government had recognised Tinubu as Nigeria\u2019s next president, which would have been a public relations coup for him as his time in the US has often been scrutinised<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fake endorsements are another way politicians deceive people, Fage told Africa Check. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey visit prominent people, circulate photos of the visit and then claim it was an endorsement. When the prominent person keeps quiet, the claimed endorsement is taken as real and some voters might then vote for that candidate,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Altered photos and videos are another disinformation trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the example of the Hollywood stars supposedly endorsing Obi, the video<\/a> showed dozens of famous US and British actors displaying white cards with the inscription: \u201cYes. It makes sense to Vote for Peter Obi in 2023.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It turned out to be a combination of over 20 doctored episodes of the US magazine Wired\u2019s autocomplete interview series<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Musk\u2019s supposed endorsement of Obi is a video created<\/a> by an artificial intelligence app. It allows users to make Musk<\/a> say whatever they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another example is a manipulated photo that seemed to show<\/a> Tinubu watching his rival Obi on TV while aboard a flight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the original photo<\/a>, posted on Twitter by a Tinubu support group, the APC presidential candidate is looking out of the plane\u2019s window while returning to Nigeria<\/a> in October 2022. The screen in front of him is blank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Editing is popular because it has a \u201clow barrier to entry\u201d: the skills and equipment needed are often easily available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have also been Twitterbots<\/a> and trolls<\/a> helping push narratives and hashtags about candidates and their supporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rosemary Ajayi is the lead at the Africa Digital Research Lab<\/a>, a nonprofit that examines issues such as the misuse of social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several disinformation techniques were being used in the buildup to the elections, she told us. But it was either too difficult or too early to measure their impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Automated \u201cbot\u201d \u2013 robot \u2013 social media accounts were also being used. But more worrisome were the activities of trolls and hired influencers, Ajayi told us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have been picking up evidence of coordinated inauthentic behaviour on social media \u2013 usually around trends. Influencers and their many minion accounts are pushing narratives,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Online influencers \u2013 people able to influence understanding of major public issues \u2013 are major players in several disinformation trends ahead of the 2023 elections. Some have consistently promoted their candidates at the expense of others. Others have taken every opportunity to attack opposing candidates, sometimes using false information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Influencers\u2019 work was more complex in this election than it was in 2015 and 2019, Dr Theresa Amobi, a senior lecturer in the department of mass communication at the University of Lagos<\/a>, told Africa Check. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince this presidential election has more than two leading candidates, influencers have engaged on multiple fronts, unlike in 2015, when it was only the PDP and APC,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPoliticians hire these influencers to spread false information on social media to promote themselves and demarket their opponents. Unfortunately, they do to some extent because not many people are media literate enough to critically analyse these things and spot disinformation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ajayi added that some influencers bribe other social media users to use certain hashtags. \u201cAnd this is not hidden. They openly promise to give money to whoever uses the hashtags they want to trend.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The election season has come with the emergence of fake news websites and blogs used by different camps to publish information \u2013 sometimes false information \u2013 that advances their campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of these less known news websites<\/a> are often referenced<\/a> by the spokespeople for presidential campaigns. The websites<\/a> usually have reports promoting the party, several of them making false and unsubstantiated claims about their opponents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On social media, particularly Twitter, there have been fake accounts sharing false information<\/a> while impersonating political figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 2022 Obi\u2019s running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, called a press conference<\/a> to complain about social media accounts in his name spreading false information. Months later, there are still multiple Twitter<\/a> handles with the name. We found at least 21 in January 2023, some<\/a> of them claiming to be<\/a> his official account<\/a>. Some have since had \u201cparody account<\/a>\u201d or \u201caffiliate account<\/a>\u201d added to their bio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ethnicity and religion are two critical factors<\/a> in Nigerian politics. They influence most political decisions mainly because of the country\u2019s population and geography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigeria has about 250 ethnic groups<\/a>. The country\u2019s north is predominantly Muslims and while the south is mainly Christian, with these populations roughly equal<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since independence in 1960, Nigerian political leaders have often negotiated political power<\/a> based on ethnicity and religion. And the presidency is expected to rotate<\/a> between the north and south, and between Muslims and Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than any other poll since the return of democracy in 1999, ethnicity and religion are playing major roles in this election. This is reflected in the type of information being shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve also seen narratives targeted at ethnic nationalities. I believe this has to do with the unwritten agreement of rotation of power between north and south and the fact that someone from the southeast, Peter Obi, is a frontrunner in this election,\u201d Ajayi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Amobi, whose recent research interests have been misinformation and disinformation, also noted that much of the recent election-related false information has been about ethnicity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, a lot of the disinformation has<\/a> been about religion<\/a>, partly fuelled by fears of the impact of APC\u2019s Muslim-Muslim ticket<\/a>. Both the APC presidential candidate, Tinubu, and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another trend is claims that political parties and their candidates are giving cash and other goodies to their supporters. These often circulate in SMS or WhatsApp messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An example is a claim that PDP\u2019s Abubakar will give N85,000 each<\/a> to his supporters. A phone number is included, for people to call to get the giveaway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another claims that Abubakar is giving out N5,000 airtime <\/a>vouchers and 10 GB of mobile data. It includes several weblinks and encourages Facebook users to click on them and share them with their friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many would-be voters fall for these scams, affecting both their pocket and their perception of political issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Republished with permission from here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
1. Who said what? Politicians falsely quoted<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. False claims of size<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Misleading achievements attributed to candidates <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Nonexistent endorsements <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Edited videos and misleading photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. Bots and trolls on Twitter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. Activities of online influencers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. Dubious and partisan news websites, and fake social media accounts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
9. Targeting of ethnic and religious groups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10. Fake giveaways and scams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n