BY: Eniola Amadu
Claim:
A user on X, named @spoiltkid shared a video showing a large crowd on the streets, claiming that it was footage of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, “in” Kwara State.
Verdict:
The claim is false. There is no official publication by any credible news media that Peter Obi was in Kwara, neither did any post on Peter Obi’s verified X page confirm he was in Kwara state.
Full Text:
A user on X, named @spoiltkid has shared a video showing a large crowd of people on the streets with a caption claiming that the video was footage of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi in Kwara state.
A screenshot of the claim on X
The caption purports that Peter Obi was received by a large crowd of people in the acclaimed state. This claim comes up as the 2027 Presidential election draws nearer.
Similar claims were also found posted by several X users here, here, here, here, and here amongst many others.
Verification:
To confirm if Obi was in Kwara and to verify the video, FactCheckAfrica conducted a keyword search on “Obi in Kwara” and found no credible news report that Peter Obi was in Kwara state. However The Guardian NG reported that a campaign organised by the NDC took place in Ilorin on Saturday, October 4.
Also, FactCheckAfrica went through the verified X page of Peter Obi and discovered there was no post to confirm he was in Kwara state.
Further checks on X led to a counter repost stating the video was from a solidarity walk and public procession named Dubar by the 15th Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero on Sunday September 27.
Thus, FactCheckAfrica conducted a search on the reported solidarity walk and found a youtube video posted by Independent Television News(ITV) and another as posted on Instagram by another user named mutan_kannywood. Additionally, News Central also posted a video report on the walk on their facebook page. FactCheckAfrica watched the three videos independently and found striking matches from the video and the alleged claim on X.
A screenshot of the striking match from the videos
A major semblance was the umbrella used by the Emir during his walk.
Conclusion:
The claim that Peter Obi was in Kwara is false, and the video of a mammoth crowd used to portray his arrival in Kwara was from a solidarity walk by the 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero.
