APC accuses Atiku, ADC of deepfake plot to discredit Kaduna campaign flag-off

Abdullateef Fowewe

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress of orchestrating a disinformation campaign to undermine the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday.

In a statement signed by the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, the APC alleged that the opposition planned to use fake news, artificial intelligence, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents to discredit President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other party leaders.

“We have uncovered a well-orchestrated, devious plan by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his party to discredit the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna,” Alake said.

Alake said the alleged campaign began with a photograph of a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna.

He claimed the image was misrepresented to suggest that security personnel had been deployed to protect the billboard.

“Immediately after the newspaper published the fake, distorted story, Atiku Abubakar, in a coordinated manner, latched onto it and shared it on his official social media handles to generate traffic and trends,” he alleged.

The APC also dismissed an online letter purportedly written by Governor Uba Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, claiming that Kaduna State released N2.3 trillion to host the rally.

Alake described the claim as “senseless and utterly baseless,” arguing that the alleged amount exceeds Kaduna State’s combined budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026.

The campaign council further alleged that old, doctored and deepfake videos had been prepared for release during the rally to portray public resentment against the APC.

“We hereby use this opportunity to alert the general public about this malicious and ignoble plan,” Alake said, urging Nigerians to “be vigilant and reject their machinations.”

The APC described the ADC as Atiku’s “special-purpose vehicle” and accused the opposition of being willing to deploy “any strings, no matter how despicable and atrocious” in its bid for power.

The ADC has rejected the allegations, with its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, challenging the APC to provide names, dates and forensic findings to substantiate the claims.

Shaibu said the accusation was politically motivated and unsupported by evidence, while also raising concerns about reports involving APC supporters travelling to the Kaduna rally.