The APC Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress of allegedly planning to discredit its Kaduna campaign flag-off through fake news, manipulated reports and AI-generated deepfake videos.
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 flag-off in Kaduna.
The council claimed that the opposition intended to deploy fake news, manipulated reports, artificial intelligence-generated content and deepfake videos to undermine the campaign, President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
The allegations were contained in a statement issued on Saturday by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, ahead of the campaign flag-off in Kaduna.
“We have uncovered a well-orchestrated, devious plan by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his party to discredit the APC presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna today (Saturday),” Alake said.
Alake alleged that opposition figures had circulated misleading narratives and manipulated reports to shape public opinion and portray the APC rally negatively.
He cited the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.
According to the council’s spokesperson, the photograph was allegedly being misrepresented as evidence that security personnel had been deployed specifically to protect APC billboards.
Alake further alleged that Atiku shared a newspaper report concerning the incident through his official social media accounts, thereby amplifying the narrative.
The claims were presented by the APC council as part of what it described as a broader effort to undermine the party’s campaign. The statement did not independently establish the alleged opposition plot.
The campaign council also accused the opposition of circulating a purported letter from Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani to Senator Abdulaziz Yari, the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
According to Alake, the alleged letter claimed that the Kaduna State Government had released N2.3 trillion to host the campaign rally.
He dismissed the reported figure as false and argued that it was inconsistent with the state’s annual budgets.
Alake cited Kaduna State’s budgets of N458.271 billion for 2024, N790.439 billion for 2025 and N985.9 billion for 2026, arguing that their combined total was less than N2.3 trillion.
“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,” he said.
The council described the purported letter as part of the alleged disinformation campaign against the APC.
Alake further alleged that the opposition planned to circulate old footage, doctored videos and AI-generated deepfakes during the Kaduna rally to create a false impression of public resentment towards the APC.
He warned Nigerians to be cautious about political content circulating online and in the media, particularly material that could have been manipulated or presented without proper context.
“We hereby use this opportunity to alert the general public about this malicious and ignoble plan,” he added.
The council described the alleged activities as an attempt to weaken the APC’s electoral prospects and urged Nigerians to reject what it characterised as political disinformation.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council called on members of the public to remain vigilant and verify information before sharing content relating to the campaign.
The allegations come ahead of the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna, with the council warning that fabricated reports and manipulated digital media could be used to influence public perception.
The claims against Atiku Abubakar and the ADC were allegations made by the APC council in its statement. The statement, as provided, did not include a response from Atiku or the ADC to the accusations.
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