By Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition.
The Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NCF) has commenced a live fact check of claims around the Sep. 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election.
This is to ensure the dispensation of accurate information during the election period, The live fact-check will verify false or misleading information shared on social media, such as X, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward to read them.
Here are the fact-checks:
CLAIM 1
CLAIM: An X user, @justsociety4all posted an APC membership card allegedly belonging to the INEC’s supervising national commissioner for Edo, Rhoda Gumus. The post claims she’s a member of the party.
FINDINGS: Checks by NFC show that the registration form has been online since 2022 during the build up to the 2023 general election. According to The ICIR, the membership card was part of the materials in the petition submitted to the Senate by Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) opposing Gumus’ confirmation as an INEC national commissioner. The report confirmed that Gumus was indeed a member of the APC in Bayelsa State with Registration Form No: BAY/YEN/08/58315.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: The ICIR
CLAIM 2
CLAIM: An X user, @CrownPrinceCom2 claimed that the governor of Edo state, Godswin Obaseki said the Edo election is a “do or die affair.”
FINDINGS: According to TheCable, Obaseki referred to the Edo election a “do or die affairs” while speaking at the grand finale rally of the People’s Democratic Party on September 13 in the Ekenwan area of Benin City, the state capital. In a follow-up interview with Channels TV, the governor reiterated the statement and expressed no regret for making it.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Channels TV, The Cable
CLAIM 3
CLAIM: An X user @kunmydrey claimed Edo PDP governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo stepped down for Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata.
FINDINGS: A press statement by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday night stated that Asue Ighodalo Is very much in the race.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: People’s Democratic Party (PDP) official X account
CLAIM 4
CLAIM:
An X user, @ChuksEricE said Edo residents protest over the presence of Kogi state governor, Usman Ododo, in Edo state.
FINDINGS: Result from a simple keyword Google search, “Protest in Akoko“, showed that the Independent Television Radio ( ITV) reported that members of the PDP, Akoko Edo chapter protested on Friday to express their grievances over the alleged presence of Kogi State Governor, Usman Ahmed Ododo in Igarra, headquarters of Akoko Edo LGA ahead of today’s governorship election. The protesters who reportedly marched from the Edo PDP secretariat to Akoko police area command, asked the police to fish out the thugs allegedly mobilised by the Kogi governor.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: Independent Television Radio (ITV)
CLAIM 5
CLAIM: Multiple social media users claimed that INEC officials were missing from Ighodalo’s polling unit
FINDINGS: This tweet was sent at 10:34 am and according to Business Day, INEC officials were yet to arrive at Ighodalo’s polling unit – Ward 1, Unit 3, Ewohinmi.
But at 11:28am, Vanguard reported that INEC had finally arrived at the Ighodalo’s polling unit.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Vanguard, Business Day
CLAIM 6
CLAIM: An X user @IwadiDevelopmen, shared a WhatsApp message stating that the court has disqualified the APC governorship candidate, Monday Okpebholo, in the 2024 Edo election.
FINDINGS: TheCable reports that a magistrate in the Federal Capital Territory, Abubakar Mukhtar, has denied any order disqualifying the APC candidate. The news outlet quoted the magistrate’s reaction to it as “false and misleading.” Platform Times also reported a similar development where the magistrate refuted the claim. According to the news outlet, the APC candidate had been invited by the court over the discrepancies of his birth certificate, but the court has not passed judgement yet. The APC’s spokesperson, Felix Morka, also confirmed that no court disqualified Mr Okpebholo from the election..
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: The Cable, Platform Times, APC’s spokesperson
CLAIM 7
CLAIM: An X user, @drkenon posted two videos with different claims. He claimed in the first video that the police officers seen in the clip were officers deployed to Edo election, while in the second video, he claimed that the video shows some Nigeria Police Force officers destroying ballot boxes in the 2023 presidential election.
FINDINGS: Checks by NFC revealed that the first video shows police officers in Edo state ahead of today’s governorship election, while demonstrating their readiness for the poll, according to the Punch Newspaper’s X account. Further findings revealed that the second video was from polling unit 009, Lugbe Primary School, Abuja in the 2023 Nigeria presidential election. According to News Central TV, there was an alleged mass thumbprinting by INEC ad-hoc staff causing pandemonium in the polling unit and not destroying ballot boxes.
VERDICT: PARTIALLY CORRECT
SOURCES: News Central TV, Punch
CLAIM 8
CLAIM: An X user, OlanipekunTobiD claimed that the Electoral Act does not recognize the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
FINDINGS: A keyword search on the internet led us to a judgement by the Presidential Election Petitions Court, which said the Electoral Act 2022 made no provision for electronic transmission of election results. The court held that the only mandatory technological device for INEC is the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). We also spoke to Amina Miango, a lawyer and project manager, of the Law, Democracy and Journalism project at the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) who explained that IReV is not recognised under the Act but noted IReV is just a viewing platform, not a transmission platform. She added that section 50(2) of the Act allows INEC to transmit results as it deems fit and so far, INEC continues to transmit results manually from one level of collation to the other.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Channels TV, Punch, CJID
CLAIM 9
CLAIM: An X user, @Bigwhaledd, posted a video, claiming it shows the chaos that ensued in a polling unit after some APC thugs were caught trying to steal during the election.
FINDINGS: The NFC used related keywords to search Google and found that a Facebook user posted the same video alongside an unverified claim that it shows apprehended APC thugs who were accompanying INEC staff to Oredo LGA. In another post on Facebook and on the same date, a Facebook account claims it shows APC thugs arrested by the police and the army. Although the post does not clarify what the thugs were trying to steal, NFC found that the video had been on the internet before the commencement of the Edo state election on September 21. Therefore, the video is not related to the ongoing Edo election.
VERDICT: MISLEADING.
SOURCES: OSINT, Google
CLAIM 10
CLAIM: An X user, @awkaboy001, posted pictures allegedly showing APC rented thugs who are disrupting the elections in Benin, Edo State.
FINDINGS: Analysing the three images with Google Lens shows they had been used during the 2019 general elections. The images have also been used by reputable media outlets including the ICIR, Premium Times, The Cable, Daily Post, and Daily Trust before the 2024 Edo election.
VERDICT: MISLEADING.
SOURCES: Google Lens, ICIR, Premium Times, The Cable, BBC.
CLAIM 11
CLAIM: An X user claimed thugs disrupted the election process in Ward 3, Unit 33, Egor Local government area of Edo state.
FINDINGS: There have been reports of thugs’ invasion and disruption in some polling units in Egor LGA as seen here and here.
NFC contacted Mrs Adenike Tadese, the deputy director of publicity at INEC who confirmed the incident to be true.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: INEC PRO, The Guardian, BBC News
CLAIM 12
CLAIM: An X user, @jamesatts claimed that INEC no longer transmits electronically for real-time result monitoring
FINDINGS: With the tweet made at 4:02 pm, checks revealed that INEC has uploaded over 3,715 polling units results as at 4:55pm on the IREV portal which serves as a real-time result monitoring.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC iREV
CLAIM 13
CLAIM: An X user, @Imranmuhdz claims that 1,381 out of 4,519 results have been successfully uploaded to the INEC IREV server for the Edo Governorship Election as at 3:47pm on Saturday, September 21.
FINDINGS: Checks on the INEC IREV portal indicate that 3,845 out of 4,519 results have been uploaded as at 6:07 pm on Saturday, September 21.
The NFC also spoke to Bakare Majeed, a Premium Times’ journalist, who confirmed that while some polling units have successfully uploaded their results, others, such as Open Space Osagiede Uzzi in Oredo Local Government are still facing network challenges.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: INEC IREV portal, Premium Times.
CLAIM 14
CLAIM: An X user, @PO_GrassRootM shared an image with the claim that results have been illegally written in Edo North.
FINDINGS: NFC checks, using TinEye and other reverse image searches, show that the picture has been on the internet as far back as 2019 during Nigeria’s 2019 general elections. INEC is yet to announce results from various local governments in Edo State.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: OSINT, BBC News
CLAIM 15
CLAIM: X users share an election result sheet, claiming rigging in Osholo Primary School polling unit, Etsako East LGA, Edo State.
FINDINGS: The result uploaded to the INEC IREV portal suggests potential rigging. According to the summary, 493 voters were registered, 213 accredited, yet 406 valid votes were recorded along with one void. These discrepancies indicate possible manipulation at the polling unit.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: INEC IREV Portal.
CLAIM 16
This fact-check report was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC): Nurudeen Akewushola, Salako Emmanuel, Fatimah Quadri (FactCheckHub); Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Cole Praise, Lateef Sanni, Lademi Aborisade, Philip Anjorin, Silas Jonathan, Sunday Awosoro, Mohammed Taoheed, Amarachi Onwuzulike, Asiat Jimoh (Dubawa); Catherine Adeniyi, Motunrayo Joel, Allwell Okpi, Adelola Semilore, Denzel Amobi, Muktar Balogun (Africa Check); Caleb Ijioma, Precious Ewuji, Agbelusi Samuel (RoundCheck); Orji Ruth (NatureFacts); Ayodele Oluwafemi, Claire Mom (The Cable); Faruk Shuaibu (Daily Trust); Kamal Idress (WikkiTimes); Hannah Ajakaiye, Olayinka Oladokun, Efemena Ighofose (FactsMatterNG); Pascal Ibe and Blessing Otoibhi (ICIR); and Rosemary Ajayi (Digital Africa Research Lab).
It was edited and approved for publication by Kemi Busari, Lois Ugbede (Dubawa), David Ajikobi (Africa Check), Ajibola Amzat (CCIJ), and Opeyemi Kehinde (FactCheckHub) and Bamas Victoria (ICIR).
