By BONIFACE AKARAH

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of orchestrating a disinformation campaign to discredit the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna, alleging the use of fake news, artificial intelligence-generated content and doctored documents.

The allegation was contained in a press statement issued on Saturday, October 24, 2026, by Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The council claimed that Atiku and the ADC had embarked on a coordinated effort to manipulate public opinion and undermine President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders ahead of the campaign event.

It alleged that the operation involved the circulation of misleading reports, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents through mainstream media and social media platforms.

In the statement titled *“Fake News Alert: Atiku Abubakar and ADC's Plot to Discredit APC Presidential Campaign Flag-Off in Kaduna”, the council said:

“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 today, Saturday, October 24th, 2026.

“Through subterfuge and mindless propaganda, the former Vice President and the African Democratic Congress have perfected their plans to misinform and disinform the public, manipulate public opinion through fake news operations and planting of false news in mainstream news platforms and social media with the use of Artificial Intelligence, deepfake videos, and counterfeit documents, all in a bid to discredit the APC rally in Kaduna, President Bola Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani, and leaders of our party.”

The campaign council cited two incidents which it described as evidence of the alleged operation.

According to the statement, the first involved the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.

The council alleged that the image was subsequently presented as evidence that security personnel had been deployed specifically to protect APC campaign billboards.

It further accused Atiku of amplifying the narrative after a national newspaper published a report on the incident.

The statement also alleged that a second item circulated online was a purported letter from Governor Uba Sani to the campaign council’s Director-General, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, concerning an alleged release of ₦2.3 trillion by the Kaduna State Government to host the APC rally.

Rejecting the document as fabricated, the council questioned the financial plausibility of the figure and compared it with the state's budget estimates for three years.

Alake stated:

“We are still at a loss as to how anyone can imagine and concoct this senseless and utterly baseless lie that defies logic and basic common sense. How much is the entire annual revenue of Kaduna State, or any state, for that matter, that a state would spend N2.3 trillion to host a rally?

“The N2.3 trillion that Atiku and his hirelings are circulating online is more than Kaduna State's annual budget for three years.

“For context, the combined Kaduna State budgets for 2024 (N458.271 billion), 2025 (N790.439 billion), and 2026 (N985.9 billion) are still less than N2.3 trillion.”

The council further warned that it expected the alleged disinformation campaign to continue during the Kaduna rally, claiming that old footage, doctored recordings and deepfake videos could be circulated to create the impression that residents were rejecting the APC campaign.

It urged Nigerians and media organisations to exercise caution when sharing information and audiovisual materials relating to the event.

“We know these two scenarios are only a part of the grand plan. The ADC and Atiku’s hirelings have also perfected plans to circulate old, doctored, and deepfake videos as the rally gets underway later today to show purported resentment by the people.

“We hereby use this opportunity to alert the general public about this malicious and ignoble plan,” the statement added.

The APC campaign council also launched a political attack on Atiku and the ADC, accusing them of desperation to gain power.

It described the ADC as Atiku’s “special-purpose vehicle” and claimed that the opposition camp was prepared to deploy questionable tactics to remain politically relevant.

However, the allegations against Atiku and the ADC were presented by the APC campaign council, and the statement did not provide independent evidence establishing that they were responsible for the alleged fake reports, documents or planned deepfake videos.

The statement also did not identify the national newspaper accused of publishing the disputed security-vehicle report or provide technical evidence establishing the alleged fabrication of the purported letter.

The controversy comes as political parties intensify preparations and public engagement ahead of the 2027 general election.

The APC presidential campaign council urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject what it described as attempts to manipulate public opinion during the electioneering period.