Former junior labour minister Festus Keyamo and ex-aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode have gained a reputation for spreading fake news during the 2023 elections in Nigeria, according to the 'European Union Election Observation Mission NIGERIA 2023 Final Report'.
The report, released on Tuesday, highlighted an increase in misleading information before and during the elections, often disseminated by well-known individuals affiliated with political parties.
The EU observers specifically mentioned Keyamo and Fani-Kayode, who served as spokespersons for presidential candidate Bola Tinubu's campaign team, for their involvement in spreading false information. One instance cited in the report was on February 12, when Keyamo, representing the APC, shared information from a suspicious website that accused Peter Obi of bribery. The story quickly went viral but was debunked shortly after.
Furthermore, it was reported by Peoples Gazette that Keyamo circulated photos of a Chicago festival to mislead the public about the attendance at Mr Tinubu's campaign rally in Sokoto.
Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister and member of the APC, claimed on February 11, 2023, that PDP presidential candidate Abubakar had a secret meeting with military generals in Abuja. The EU observers noted that Fani-Kayode accused Atiku of inciting chaos, attempting a coup, and establishing an unconstitutional order. Fani-Kayode spread these claims across multiple social media platforms, resulting in a total of 281.2k impressions. The following day, he posted that the Army had denied reports of a meeting between its officers and Atiku.
In response to the EU report, Keyamo downplayed its significance in determining the legitimacy of the government, stating that such power or responsibility lies with the judiciary.
The EU observers also refuted claims that the 2023 general elections were free, fair, and credible. They expressed concern over the killing of 74 people and criticized the Nigerian police for attacking journalists while ignoring political thugs who disrupted the polls.
0 Comments