APC presidential campaign council accuses PDP, LP of peddling fake news against Tinubu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) of peddling fake news against the candidacy of its presidential hopeful, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

A widely circulated statement linked to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) claimed that the commission had commenced investigation into the drug-related allegations against the Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), ahead of 2023 general elections.

However, INEC in a recent disclaimer signed by its Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, had dismissed the claim as ill-founded and fake.

Bayo Onanuga, the council’s Media and Publicity Director, in a statement on Sunday, said the opposition forged the document to misinform the public.

The Council thus charged the security agencies to commence investigation into the widely circulated document.

The statement read: “The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its subsidiary Labour Party having realized they have no sure path to victory in the February 2023 presidential election upped their campaigns of calumny, disinformation and misinformation on Saturday by sponsoring fake news against the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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“They did it by forging the letterhead of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the signature of its national commissioner, Festus Okoye.

“We are not in any way surprised by the antics of the sinking opposition parties. What we found shocking was how quickly some compromised media organizations gulped the falsehood, hook, line and sinker, without attempting to verify.

“This inglorious path has been taken before since 2003 and in the run-up to the primaries of the ruling APC that produced Asiwaju Tinubu as the presidential touch bearer. Those who took this damned path of infamy lost their bet because Asiwaju Tinubu stands rock solid and indestructible.

“While we want to stay above the fray and stand by our commitment to inspire our people and restore their faith and confidence in the immense goodness and greatness of our country, we want to serve notice to all the agents of disinformation and their collaborating media platforms, that our campaign organization stands ready fo confront and fight all libellous and defamatory publications against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We shall no longer allow the prevailing recklessness and utter disregard for professional judgement to continue unchallenged. We also call on the police to investigate the circulation of the forged INEC statement and serve justice to those responsible.”

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