A viral media report circulated widely on Sunday, September 15, alleged that Dr Anthony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, accused the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) of plotting to manipulate the upcoming governorship election scheduled for September 21.

The report claimed that $2 million had been released to compromise officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and security operatives, and to buy votes.

The report quickly gained traction, especially on social media. However, after an investigation, it became evident that the report was false and misleading.

The Claim

The viral report suggested that Aziegbemi accused the Presidency and the NSA of planning to rig the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo.

It also alleged that the Nigerian government had released a substantial sum of money to ensure the manipulation of electoral outcomes by compromising election officials and security forces.

Response from the Presidency and NSA

Reacting swiftly to the allegations, the Presidency dismissed the claims as “baseless,” insisting that there was no interference in the election process.

Similarly, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, vehemently denied the accusations, calling them false and damaging to his reputation.

Ribadu, through his legal team, demanded an immediate retraction of the statement attributed to Aziegbemi, an apology, and N10 billion in damages.

Findings

Upon thorough investigation, the statement attributed to the PDP chairman in Edo was found to be a forgery.

A comparative analysis of the document circulating on social media and the official templates used by the PDP revealed significant differences.

The letterhead on the purported statement did not match the official letterhead used by the Edo State chapter of the PDP.

Additionally, close associates of Aziegbemi confirmed that he had not issued any such statement.

Independent sources within the PDP also affirmed that the party had not authorized any communication accusing the Presidency or the NSA of election manipulation.

Aziegbemi's Response

Reacting to the controversy, Dr Aziegbemi distanced himself and his party from the alleged statement.

He condemned the falsehood as the work of "irresponsible mischief makers" and called on Nigerians to disregard the claims entirely.

In his official statement, Aziegbemi expressed disappointment over the tactics used by political opponents to derail the PDP’s campaign.

He reiterated that his party is committed to responsible campaigning and will not resort to circulating falsehoods or engaging in negative propaganda.

He said: "A statement purportedly signed by me, accusing the Presidency and Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) of planning to manipulate the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, circulating on social media, was not issued by me.

"In this election season, all sorts of false statements and forged documents, mischievously ascribed to us, are peddled by persons who do not mean well for our campaign.

"We will not put this sort of behaviour past certain opponents who have nothing to offer the people and believe that the only chance they have in this election is by circulating falsehood and negative propaganda to derail our campaign. We call on all well-meaning Nigerians to totally disregard this false statement."

Analysis of the Alleged Statement

A comparison between the forged statement and authentic communications from the Edo State PDP highlighted several discrepancies:

Letterhead: The forgery used a different template from the one the party typically employs for official communication. The letter forged was an old template usually used by PDP the promoters of the fake letter didn't realize that the PDP had since switched to another type of letterhead.

Language: The tone and language of the alleged statement were inconsistent with Aziegbemi’s known style of communication, further indicating that it was not authored by him.

Signature: The signature for the chairman was superimposed into the letter using computer graphics, but usually the chairman manually signs his statements.


Conclusion

The claim that Dr Aziegbemi accused the Presidency and the Office of the National Security Adviser of planning to manipulate the Edo governorship election is false.

The statement circulating on social media is a forgery, and the PDP chairman has categorically denied making any such accusation.

Verdict

Claim: Edo PDP chairman accused the Presidency and NSA of planning to manipulate the governorship election.


Verdict: False. The statement was forged, and the PDP chairman has denied making such accusations.

Franktom247:
So what will Ribadu do now

Will Azigbemi counter sue

Time will tell

ogugwa1992:



https://independent.ng/fact-check-did-edo-pdp-chairman-accuse-presidency-nsa-of-election-manipulation/

Hemanwel:
My Edo brothers and sisters! I have come again with my gospel:

"Edo no be Lagos!"


Do not give APC, the evil party, a chance in your State! All they have to offer you is insecurity, as promised by its candidate. Imo State was once one of the most peaceful States in Nigeria until the Supreme Court made the State an APC State.

Or, do you want them to run your State the way they are running the country?

Make una shine una eyes and protect your votes this coming Saturday!