By Pascal Ibe
Introduction
“Nigeria cannot import its way to prosperity. We will produce more of what we consume, process more of what we produce, and compete more effectively in global markets.
“I promised to prioritise agriculture, manufacturing, technology, construction, energy, creative industries and services, while creating an environment in which businesses could invest, employ workers and expand without unnecessary regulatory and infrastructure constraints.”
These and more were the promises of the candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, when he launched his 2027 presidential campaign on Friday 21 August.
The former Anambra State governor is contesting for the presidency for the second time, having come third in the last 2023 election under the Labour Party.
Obi’s popularity in 2023 and till this moment was a result of a wide belief among many Nigerians, including the youths, that he is the right man for the job.
Claim
As the campaign towards next year’s election begins, supporters of Obi have posted online video clips of rallies which claim to depict massive support for the NDC candidate.
An X user, @Dee_9889 posted a clip of the rally for Obi alongside the claim that it was recent.
The video was captioned, “Don’t let APC gaslight you…Peter Obi still got the street credibility..
These are not paid or rented crowds. You know the mantra. WE NO THEY GIVE SHISHI ”
The post has garnered over 4,000 views with comments indicating that people believe that the clip was recent.
Another Obi supporter on the X platform, @Eluckki, posted another clip showing a rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He implied that the video was also a recent rally. The caption to the video reads, “WOW!!!! 😱🔥
2 MILLION PEOPLE ON THE STREETS OF PORT HARCOURT! RIVERS STATE JUST DECLARED: WE ARE OBIDIENT! AND OK.
“The love & grace for Peter Obi is UNSTOPPABLE!”
As of Monday 24 August, the video has generated over 21,000 views and hundreds of reposts and likes, according to the X analytics.
Verification
On the video posted by @Dee_9889, FACTWATCH Nigeria subjected the key frames from the clip to Google Lens and found that this video first appeared online in November 2022 during the campaigns for the 2023 elections.
The video was posted on Facebook, X and Instagram at that time here, here and here.
Also, news organisations reported that the Obi campaign was in Edo State during that period.
See the publications here and here.
On the second clip shared by @Eluckki, a concrete piece of primary evidence that this video was old is that some of Obi’s supporters were waving Labour Party flags — a party which Obi is no longer a member of.
Google Lens results also revealed that the video was from 2022.
One of the supporters of the NDC candidate posted the clip in 2022 here.
Also, news websites reported the rally then here and here.
Verdict
The two videos shared by Obi’s supporters as recent to show massive support for him were from 2022. Therefore, the clips are MISLEADING.
