DEEPFAKE ALARM: APC SAYS OPPOSITION PLANS TO SIMULATE RESENTMENT AT TINUBU’S KADUNA RALLY

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of plotting to discredit its presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State through fake news, doctored videos and counterfeit documents.

The allegation was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by the council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, as President Bola Tinubu formally kicked off his 2027 re-election campaign in the state .

THE ALLEGATION

Alake said the council had uncovered a “well-orchestrated, devious plan” by Atiku and his party to misinform and disinform the public through fake news operations, planting false stories in mainstream and social media, and the use of Artificial Intelligence, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents.

According to the council, the alleged operation had already begun in the 24 hours preceding the rally, starting with the circulation of a photograph showing a security vehicle stationed near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna metropolis.

The APC-PCC claimed that Atiku and the ADC “twisted the narrative, claiming the security agents were there to protect the APC billboards” and subsequently planted the story in a national newspaper before Atiku shared it on his social media handles.

THE N2.3 TRILLION LETTER

The council also dismissed a document circulating online, purportedly written by Governor Uba Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, concerning the alleged release of N2.3 trillion by the Kaduna State Government to host the rally .

“We are still at a loss as to how anyone can imagine and concoct this senseless and utterly baseless lie that defies logic and basic common sense,” Alake said. “The N2.3 trillion that Atiku and his hirelings are circulating online is more than Kaduna State’s annual budget for three years”.

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He provided context, noting that the combined Kaduna State budgets for 2024 (N458.271 billion), 2025 (N790.439 billion), and 2026 (N985.9 billion) were still less than N2.3 trillion.

THE WARNING

Alake warned that the two incidents were only part of a larger scheme. “The ADC and Atiku’s hirelings have also perfected plans to circulate old, doctored, and deepfake videos as the rally gets underway later today to show purported resentment by the people,” he alleged .

He described Atiku and the ADC as “incapable of winning any election” and accused them of resorting to desperate tactics. “They will pull any strings, no matter how despicable and atrocious, to stay afloat in their desperate bid to grab power at all costs,” he said .

The APC-PCC urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and reject attempts to mislead the public through fabricated reports and manipulated digital content .

WHY IT MATTERS

The APC’s decision to raise the alarm before the Kaduna rally is a recognition that the 2027 campaign will be fought not only on the ground but in the digital arena.

Deepfakes and AI-generated content are increasingly difficult to detect, and a single viral video can shape public perception for days.

Whether Atiku and the ADC are actually planning such a campaign is unproven. But the APC’s preemptive warning ensures that any unflattering footage from Kaduna will be viewed with suspicion.

In the age of artificial intelligence, the truth is no longer self-evident. The party that controls the narrative controls the election. The APC has drawn a line. The question is whether Nigerians will believe what they see—or what they are told to see. ValidViewNetwork reports.