By Pascal Ibe
Introduction
The recent interview of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), on Channels Television on 26 July has continued to trend online.
The interview focused on Obi’s 2027 presidential ambitions, opposition coalition-building, economic strategies, and the personal challenges of political dissent.
The NDC presidential candidate addressed discussions surrounding opposition alliances, national unity, and his ambition to run for the presidency
The politician emphasised his willingness to commit to a single four-year term to demonstrate direction, discipline, and foundational governance.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, later slammed the interview granted by Obi.
Describing Obi as a political nomad, Onanuga stated that Obi thought the interview would re-energise his ebbing 2027 presidential ambition. “It turned out to be a PR disaster, judging from the spate of reactions to the many lies he referenced,” he said.
Claim
As the political build-up towards the 2027 general elections heats up across Nigeria, a video of a crowd burning brooms in a northern Nigerian community has gone viral.
A broom is a symbol of the ruling party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Therefore, setting it on fire is an act of outright rejection of the party.
An X user, @SpoiltKid (Dj SpoiltKid), posted the video clip on Thursday and claimed that “After listening to Peter Obi’s interview on Channel TV a few days ago, we in the North have decided to burn 🔥 our brooms.”
Some X users who commented on the post believed the claim as the post has already generated over 2k views with over 130 reposts.
Verification
However, FACTWATCH Nigeria subjected key frames from the video to a Google Image Reverse Search and the results showed that the clip was first posted online in June during the parties’ primaries and NOT after Obi’s Channels Television interview.
A social media influencer, Ubangwanjo Ubangwanjo, in June posted this same video on his Facebook page with a caption that reads in Hausa: Al’ummar Unguwar Liman dake Lafia Jahar Nassarawa sunce APC basayi, sun kona Tsintsiya.
Using Google Translate, the Hausa caption to the video by Ubangwanjo Ubangwanjo meant in English that “the people of Unguwar Liman in Lafia, Nasarawa State, say that APC is not good, they have burnt Tsintsiya (broom).
Another Facebook page, Nasarawa Journalist shared a similar clip and wrote, “APC Supporters Burn Brooms in Protest Against the Recently Conducted Fraudulent Primaries in Nasarawa State”
To further make sure that the video was not recent, we found a publication by The Independent Nigeria, which reported in June that the supporters of the former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu (rtd) came out en-mass in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa and burn their brooms over what they described as injustice melted to him during the APC Governorship primaries that produce Senator Aliyu Ahmed Wadada, as a candidate for the party in the state.
Addressing the crowd during the burning of the brooms in Akwanga LGA the Chairman, Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the ex-IGP Adamu Campaign organisation, Hon Nathaniel Isa said, the event was to send signals to the President and the national leadership of the APC that, those who orchestrated the rigging against Adamu lack the popularity to deliver the APC at the general elections.
Reacting to the incident, Mr Aliyu Bello, the Nasarawa Chairman of the APC, condemned the burning of brooms by some aggrieved members of the party.
He, however, said such action will not diminish APC’s popularity, achievements or grassroots support ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Verdict
The claim alongside the video clip that northerners set ablaze brooms after Obi’s Channels Television interview is MISLEADING. Findings have shown the incident happened in June and not recently.
