The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of allegedly plotting to discredit the party’s presidential campaign rally in Kaduna State through fake news and manipulated content.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, ahead of the APC campaign flag-off scheduled for October 24, 2026.
The council alleged that Atiku and the ADC planned to manipulate public opinion through misinformation, artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents to discredit President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
According to the statement, the alleged plot had already begun with the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle stationed near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.
The council claimed that opposition figures had misrepresented the presence of the security personnel as an attempt to protect the party’s billboards, alleging that the narrative was subsequently published by a national newspaper and amplified by Atiku on his official social media accounts.
The APC also alleged that another document circulating online, purportedly written by Governor Uba Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, falsely claimed that the Kaduna State Government had released N2.3 trillion to host the rally.
Describing the purported letter as fake, the council questioned the plausibility of the alleged expenditure, arguing that the amount exceeded the state’s annual budget.
It cited Kaduna State’s budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026 as N458.271 billion, N790.439 billion and N985.9 billion, respectively, insisting that the combined figures remained below N2.3 trillion.
The council further alleged that opposition supporters planned to circulate old, doctored and deepfake videos during the rally to create the impression that residents were opposed to the APC and its leadership.
It urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and verify information circulating on social media, particularly during the campaign period.
The statement accused Atiku and the ADC of resorting to what it described as propaganda and disinformation in their bid to gain political support, insisting that the alleged tactics were intended to undermine the APC’s campaign.
However, the allegations were presented by the APC campaign council, and the statement did not include a response from Atiku or the ADC.
The controversy comes amid growing political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political parties and their supporters increasingly relying on social media to shape public opinion and communicate their campaign messages.
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