In a damning revelation, former junior labour minister Festus Keyamo and ex-aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode have been implicated as purveyors of 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 the role of both individuals in misleading the public prior to and during the general elections.
The EU report pointed out an alarming increase in the dissemination of misleading information in the days leading up to and during the electoral process, with well-known personalities associated with political parties being responsible for spreading false reports. Messrs Keyamo and Fani-Kayode, who served as spokespersons for then-presidential candidate Bola Tinubu’s campaign team, were specifically named in the report as having disseminated fake news during their campaign activities.
One instance cited in the report involved Festus Keyamo promoting information from a suspicious website on February 12, accusing Peter Obi of bribery. The false story quickly gained traction but was debunked within hours. Additionally, Mr. Keyamo circulated photos of a Chicago festival to misrepresent the turnout of supporters at Mr. Tinubu’s campaign rally in Sokoto, as reported by Peoples Gazette.
Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister and member of the APC party, was also implicated in the report. On February 11, 2023, he claimed that the PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar, had a secret meeting with serving military generals in Abuja. Fani-Kayode accused Atiku of attempting to incite chaos, provoke a coup d’état, and establish an unconstitutional order. He spread these claims across multiple social media platforms, garnering 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, Festus Keyamo dismissed its significance in legitimizing or delegitimizing the government, emphasizing that such power and responsibility rest with the judiciary. The report also criticized the Nigerian police for attacking journalists while turning a blind eye to political thugs disrupting the polls, refuting claims that the 2023 general elections were free, fair, and credible. The report highlighted the tragic loss of 74 lives during the elections.
The revelations in the EU report cast a shadow on the integrity of the electoral process and underscore the need for stricter regulation and accountability in addressing the spread of fake news during election campaigns.
