President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of desperate plans to launch a series of carefully choreographed fake news every single day till voting day of the February 16 Presidential election in Nigeria.
President Buhari in a statement by the APC Presidential Campaign Council, narrated: “in a move reminiscent of how the PDP hired Cambridge Analytica in 2015 to scare voters from voting for President Muhammadu Buhari, we understand the PDP is at it again a few days to the actual voting day. This time, sources within the heart of the operations of the PDP and security sources have informed us of plans already concluded by the PDP and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s campaign team to roll out a series of fake news designed again to scare voters from voting for President Muhammadu Buhari.”
The statement signed by Festus Keyamo, SAN, Director, Strategic Communications, APC Presidential Campaign Council, indicated that the fake news would consist of doctored videos and audio clips and fake news reports from fake news sites.
Keyano narrated” “Two of such fake news in the series have already been released through their proxies and nameless individuals. The first is an audio clip of a supposed “nurse” of President Muhammadu Buhari telling voters that the President is sick and cannot govern for another four years.
“We understand that a Nigerian girl whose real name is Sandra and who used a fake British accent did the said recording somewhere in Maitama in a house belonging to a PDP chieftain. Security operatives are already on her trail.
“The second fake news released is on the purported death of Leah Sharibu. This is a lie from the pit of hell as the Federal Government’s effort to set her free has reached an advanced stage.
“The other fake news lined up for the next few days by the PDP and Atiku’s handlers would consist of similar doctored audios, videos and fake news with no link to credible news sites.”
The President, therefore, cautioned that the PDP should not heat up the country for its political gains.
“Our advice to the leadership of the PDP is that Nigeria must not burn because of their selfish ambition. Enough damage was done from these kinds of narratives they pushed out in 2015 from which we have not fully recovered till date.
“The election will come and go and Nigeria will remain one united, indivisible entity. We are shocked that the panic mode of the PDP has gone into overdrive, prompting them to push out such reckless fake news.
“We wish to advise the leadership of the PDP that in order to reduce this type of panic and desperation on their part in 2023 (that is, if they survive as a party), they must find something meaningful to do outside government patronage after they lose the 2019 elections.
“This type of attitude is borne out of hanging around, idle and waiting endlessly for election cycles to try to get back to power to plunder our national resources.
“The bad news for them is that from feelers we are having on the ground, Nigerians are not yet prepared to forgive them for their 16 years of misrule, mismanagement and outright stealing of our national resources,” Keyamo declared
The Communication Director appealed that “Nigerians should, therefore, be on the alert regarding these series of fake news in the next few days.”