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 to undermine the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna.

In a statement issued on Saturday, October 24, 2026, the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, alleged that the opposition figures planned to circulate fabricated documents, manipulated videos and artificial intelligence-generated content to discredit President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders.

Alake said the alleged campaign involved misleading reports about security personnel deployed near APC campaign billboards in Kaduna metropolis, as well as a purported letter claiming that the state government had released N2.3 trillion to host the rally.

According to him, a photograph of a security vehicle on routine patrol near an APC billboard was allegedly misrepresented as evidence that security agents had been deployed to protect the party’s campaign materials.

He further alleged that the narrative was published by a national newspaper before Atiku shared the report on his official social media accounts.

The APC spokesperson also disputed the authenticity of a purported letter circulating online, which allegedly showed Governor Sani writing to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, about the release of N2.3 trillion for the rally.

Alake questioned the plausibility of the alleged expenditure, citing Kaduna State’s approved budgets of N458.271 billion for 2024, N790.439 billion for 2025 and N985.9 billion for 2026.

He argued that the combined figures for the three years remained below N2.3 trillion and described the purported letter as false.

The campaign council further alleged that old footage, doctored videos and deepfakes could be circulated during the rally to create the impression of public opposition to the event.

It urged Nigerians to exercise caution when consuming information about the rally, particularly content shared on social media, and to verify the authenticity of documents, photographs and videos before sharing them.

The allegations were made by the APC Presidential Campaign Council, which did not provide independent forensic evidence in the statement to substantiate its claims against Atiku and the ADC.

Atiku and the ADC’s response to the allegations was not included in the statement.

The APC presidential campaign flag-off was scheduled to take place in Kaduna on Saturday, October 24, as the party mobilised supporters ahead of the 2027 general election.