By Pascal Ibe

Introduction

It is now barely one month before the start of the campaigns by political parties as Nigerian general elections inch closer.

On social media platforms, it is already going down with supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition parties throwing criticisms at each other’s candidates, particularly as regards the presidential election.

Supporters of Peter Obi, the National Democratic Congress presidential candidate, believe that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has not done enough in the country’s basic sectors in the last three years.

Claim

An X account which promotes Obi’s movement (Obidients), @AndrewOkere, on Thursday posted a video showing Salihu Lukman saying that “Tinubu can only win in 2027 through rigging.”

The X account claimed that Lukman, who spoke in the video, is the APC vice chairman.

In the over one-minute video during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Programme, Lukman alleged that he couldn’t get access to President Tinubu and has then decided to “move back to the trenches.”

Speaking further, he also said that citizens cannot willingly vote for the APC in 2027.

@AndrewOkere did not disclose to X users when the interview took place.

Verification

However, FACTWATCH Nigeria traced the video by conducting a keyword search from the clip on Google and found that it was from June 2024.

We discovered that  Lukman had already resigned from his position as the national vice chairman (NorthWest) of the APC in 2024 before appearing on Channels Television’s interview.

Lukman, who resigned his membership of the APC over alleged bad governance under the President Tinubu-led administration, adduced the hardship faced by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians as a basis for his position.

Lukman, in a letter to selected APC leaders titled: “APC and The Future of Nigerian Democracy” remarked that it behoves all patriots, democrats and progressives in the country to take up the responsibility of organising and mobilising Nigerians towards rescuing Nigerian democracy from the hands of the APC-led administration

As of July 2026, he is not a member of the APC, and the current persons in the positions of the national vice chairmen of the party are: South-South: Chief Victor Tombari Giadom; South-East: Dr Ijeoma Arodiogbu; South-West: Hon. Isaacs Kekemeke; North-East: Barr. Idris Shuaibu (also referred to as Mustapha Salihu in previous tenures)

North-Central: Hon. Mu’azu Bawa Rijau 

North-West: Hon. Garba Datti Muhamma.

Verdict

By @AndrewOkere posting the video of Lukman and his comments on 2027 politics, without revealing that he was a former vice chairman of the party, is MISLEADING.

By also not disclosing the date the interview took place, it was MISLEADING