The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of allegedly plotting to discredit President Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna through fake news, deepfake videos and forged documents.
The council made the allegation in a statement on Saturday, 24 October 2026, signed by its spokesperson, Dele Alake, describing the alleged operation as a coordinated attempt to manipulate public opinion and undermine the rally.
It claimed that the alleged plan involved planting false reports in mainstream media and circulating manipulated content on social media to discredit Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
The council said the alleged operation began with the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.
According to the statement, the image was presented as evidence that security personnel had been deployed to protect APC billboards.
The council alleged that Atiku subsequently shared a newspaper report based on the claim through his official social media accounts to generate attention.
It also accused Atiku and ADC supporters of circulating a purported letter from Governor Uba Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, claiming that the Kaduna State Government had released N2.3 trillion to host the rally.
Rejecting the claim, the council said the alleged expenditure was inconsistent with the state’s budget figures.
“How much is the entire annual revenue of Kaduna State, or any state, for that matter, that a state would spend N2.3 trillion to host a rally?” the statement asked.
It added that Kaduna State’s combined budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026 amounted to less than N2.3 trillion.
The council put the state’s budgets at N458.271 billion for 2024, N790.439 billion for 2025 and N985.9 billion for 2026.
It further alleged that old footage, doctored videos and deepfakes could be circulated during the rally to create the impression that residents were opposed to the APC campaign.
“We know these two scenarios are only a part of the grand plan,” the statement said.
The council described the alleged activities as an attempt to undermine the party’s campaign and called on Nigerians to reject what it termed a disinformation campaign.
It also attacked Atiku and the ADC’s electoral prospects, claiming they were prepared to use any means to gain political power.
“We urge Nigerians to be vigilant and reject their machinations,” the statement added.
The allegations were made by the APC Presidential Campaign Council. The statement did not provide independent evidence establishing that Atiku or the ADC organised the alleged disinformation operation.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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