The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has challenged the Minister of Information, Dele Alake, to provide evidence to substantiate his allegations against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
News reports that Alake had accused Atiku and the ADC of engaging in what he described as “fake news operations”, allegedly involving artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos and forged documents aimed at discrediting President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Reacting in a statement on Saturday, the ADC Presidential Campaign Council’s Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, argued that political propaganda would not shield Tinubu’s administration from public dissatisfaction over the rising cost of living.
The council maintained that Nigerians were more concerned about the increasing prices of food, petrol and transportation than allegations involving artificial intelligence and deepfake content.
It therefore challenged Alake to present evidence linking Atiku or the ADC to the alleged fabricated letter and video.
Shaibu described the minister’s intervention as an attempt to divert public attention from the administration’s performance, insisting that the economic difficulties facing Nigerians were real and could not be dismissed as misinformation.
“Until then, his ‘fake news alert’ is an empty political stunt,” Shaibu said, urging the minister to provide names, dates and forensic findings to support his claims.
Citing petrol prices of about ₦1,400 per litre, diesel prices exceeding ₦2,000 and food inflation hovering around 20 per cent, Shaibu argued that the financial pressures confronting households could not be written off as fabricated information.
Turning to Tinubu’s campaign rally in Kaduna, the ADC campaign spokesman questioned reports that a vehicle seen near an APC billboard was on routine patrol, asking why a campaign billboard required such protection.
He also expressed concern over reports that supporters had travelled from distant states to attend the rally but were left sleeping on the streets of Kaduna.
The statement further referenced reports of accidents involving APC supporters travelling from Sokoto and Abuja to the event, although the details had not been confirmed.
Shaibu called on the APC to take responsibility for the safety of supporters travelling to its campaign activities. He condemned what he described as the use of supporters to create favourable political impressions at the expense of their welfare.
“Making citizens endure long, hazardous journeys and sleep outdoors simply to create rally optics is political exploitation, not leadership,” he said.
The ADC campaign council maintained that the APC’s economic record, rather than its criticism of opposition figures, would influence its electoral prospects.
Shaibu argued that Nigerians struggling with high prices and declining purchasing power would ultimately assess the administration based on their experiences at the polls.
“Alake’s attack on Atiku will not reduce the cost of a meal by one naira,” he added.
