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 the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State.
The allegation was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, ahead of the APC campaign rally scheduled for October 24, 2026.
According to the council, Atiku and the ADC allegedly planned to manipulate public opinion through fake news, artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents.
The council claimed that the alleged operation was aimed at discrediting President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
It cited the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle stationed near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna, alleging that opposition figures misrepresented the incident as evidence that security personnel had been deployed to protect the party’s billboards.
The council further alleged that a national newspaper published a distorted account of the incident, which Atiku subsequently shared on his official social media platforms.
Alake also accused the ADC and its alleged supporters of circulating a purported letter claiming that the Kaduna State Government had released N2.3 trillion to host the APC rally.
The council dismissed the document as fabricated, arguing that the alleged expenditure was inconsistent with the state’s annual budgets.
It cited Kaduna State’s budgets of N458.271 billion for 2024, N790.439 billion for 2025 and N985.9 billion for 2026, maintaining that the combined figures remained below N2.3 trillion.
The APC council also alleged that old, doctored and deepfake videos could be circulated during the rally to create the impression that residents were opposed to the party.
It urged Nigerians to exercise caution when consuming political information, particularly content circulating on social media, and called on the public to verify claims before sharing them.
The allegations come amid political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political parties and their candidates preparing to mobilise support.
However, the claims against Atiku and the ADC remain allegations contained in the APC council’s statement. Independent verification and a response from the accused parties would be necessary to establish their position on the matter.