FACT-CHECK: Are these new photos of ‘under-aged voters’ as X user claims?

Claim: Photo shows under aged children voting during the recent Local Government elections in Kano State.

Verdict: Misleading. Pictures in circulation are more than six years old.

Full Text:

On October 26th, an X user @salmanaudi posted two pictures of children, purportedly at polling units during the elections held across the 44 Local Government Areas in Kano State last Saturday (October 26)

“this is happening in my state kano today 26th October, kids actually voting, am shocked. Local government polls”, the X user posted hours into the elections.

The social media user tagged a broadcasting media outlet and TV Anchors in a futile effort to gain engagement on the post. It has garnered less than 150 views so far.

But are these pictures recent?

Verification:

Ripples Nigeria checks using Google reverse image search reveals that the image was featured in a news story published online in 2018. The picture also featured in a 2018 opinion article here.

The headline of the news report, written in Hausa, reads: INEC za ta bayyana binciken zaben yara a Kano (translation: INEC will announce the child election survey in Kano).

READ ALSO: FACT-CHECK: Does photo show Peter Obi with Lagos gov Sanwo-Olu as X user claims?

The report disclosed that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the time, Professor Mahmood Yakubu was conducting an investigation “into the alleged voting by minors in the Kano local government elections.”

The electoral commission later dismissed the claim for lack of evidence.

However, the same images were also circulated on social media in 2021 to make the same claim.

In 2021, the claim shared during election season garnered wider engagement

In the same year, the electoral commission, INEC,dissociated itself from the purported claims of under-age voters making rounds online.

Conclusion:

The images recently shared to claim under-age children were voting in Kano LG polls held on October 26 are old; the same claim had been dismissed by the electoral umpire in the past.

By: Quadri Yahya

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