Supporters of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, have engaged in forging letters to discredit, malign and paint each other’s favourite candidates in a bad light.
FACTWATCH Nigeria has observed that many letters have been circulating on the X platform since Saturday 19 September.
These letters, either from the Obi supporters ( Obidents) or supporters of Tinubu, are usually signed and attributed to both politicians, which attracts criticism from both Tinubu and Obi supporters.
Why forge fake letters?
As the season towards next year’s election gets underway, Nigeria’s social media atmosphere continues to heat up as politicians and their supporters do anything possible to discredit each other.
The forging of fake letters started on Saturday after some supporters of the president posted a letter which claims to show the NDC presidential candidate writing to Obi of Onitsha, a first-class monarch in Anambra State, about the ongoing dispute between him and Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra in recent times.
Last week, Obi and the Anambra State Government were seen in a series of arguments over the state’s financial records and liabilities when he was the governor of the state.
Obi has previously said he did not leave Anambra indebted, adding that his administration left money in the state’s account.
The viral letter, titled ‘The Future of Ndigbo is Bleak ’ and dated September 19, 2026, referenced the recent statement by the Anambra State government on Obi’s financial records when he was governor.
“I therefore appeal, with humility, to our traditional institutions, political leaders and elders to encourage an environment where facts are respected, accountability is welcomed and personal disagreements do not become greater than the interests of our people,” part of the viral letter reads.
The letter was posted here and here by the supporters of Tinubu.
However in a statement on Saturday, Obi disowned the viral letter purportedly addressed to the Obi of Onitsha.
The NDC presidential candidate described the viral letter as “entirely false, malicious, and a fabrication by mischievous elements aimed at misleading the public”.
Obidents retaliates
The letter, which seeks to malign Obi, has gone viral; in retaliation, Obi supporters vow to match the energy of Tinubu’s supporters.
Some X user supporting Obi, shared a letter from President Tinubu to a Lagos monarch, admitting that t”he election is lost.”
The letter written on the APC letterhead and dated 19 September, was addressed to “His Royal Majesty, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos, Lagos State”
Titled, “I Know the Election Is Lost – But I Will Frustrate the Main Opposition (NDC)”, the letter claimed that Tinubu “asked the traditional ruler not to seek concourse, but to state unequivocally that although the election is lost, the machinery of state remains firmly in our hands.”
“There are moments in the life of a nation when those who have held power must face the shifting tides.
*The illusion of their impending victory will be short-lived. We possess the administrative levers, the legal frameworks, and the institutional loyalties to ensure that the transition of the main opposition is a labyrinth of unending legal chaos,” the letter read in part.
The letter was posted here and here.
However, primary evidence that the letter was forged is that Tinubu do not need to use the APC letterhead for a letter he is personally writing to the monarch.
Another proof that the letter was fake was that the body of the letter was too ambiguous and did not align with the title.
Also, the letter was not published on the X account of one of the spokespersons, Bayo Onanugo, as of Sunday 20 September.
Another forged letter
FACTWATCH Nigeria also observed that some Obi supporters posted another letter which Tinubu purportedly wrote to the President of the United States.
In the letter, the Nigerian president allegedly begged the US government to persuade the FBI not to release his records.
Dated 19th September, 2026, the letter was addressed to the President of the United States of America, The White House, Washington, D.C, with the title “The Release of My FBI Case Must Be Handled with Caution”
The letter was posted on X here and here by Obi supporters
But a clear indication that the letter was forged is that the signature used on this letter and the one on the letter he purportedly wrote to the Lagos monarch are different.
Another piece of evidence that this letter was forged is that no report by a credible news organisation in Nigeria or in the US has confirmed that Tinubu wrote the letter to the American president.
In summary, the letters were poorly written and are not up to the standard they should be.
