APC Accuses Atiku, ADC of Plot to Discredit Kaduna Campaign Rally
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 aimed at discrediting the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna on Saturday.
The council alleged that Atiku and the ADC planned to manipulate public opinion through fake news, artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents targeting President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.
In a statement issued on Saturday, October 24, 2026, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, said the alleged campaign had been underway in the 24 hours preceding the rally.
Alake cited the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis, which he claimed was misrepresented as evidence that security personnel had been deployed to protect the party’s billboards.
He alleged that the narrative was subsequently published by a national newspaper and shared on Atiku’s official social media accounts to amplify the claim.
The APC campaign council also accused opposition actors of circulating a purported letter allegedly written by Governor Uba Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari.
According to the statement, the document claimed that the Kaduna State Government had released N2.3 trillion to host the APC rally.
Alake dismissed the alleged expenditure as baseless, arguing that the amount exceeded Kaduna State’s combined budgets for 2024, 2025 and 2026.
He cited the state’s budgets for the three years as N458.271 billion, N790.439 billion and N985.9 billion, respectively, insisting that their combined total remained below N2.3 trillion.
The spokesperson further alleged that old, doctored and deepfake videos would be circulated during the rally to create the impression that residents were opposed to the APC and its leaders.
The council said it issued the statement to alert Nigerians to what it described as a coordinated attempt to mislead the public and undermine the party’s campaign activities.
It also criticised Atiku and the ADC, accusing them of resorting to what it called desperate political tactics in their pursuit of power.
The APC campaign council urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and scrutinise information circulating on social media and other platforms during the Kaduna rally.
