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The Nigerian Factcheckers Coalition (NFC), on September 21, 2024, set up situation rooms in Abuja and Lagos State to monitor and fact-check mis/disinformation surrounding the Edo State election.
Launched in 2022, the Coalition comprises International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) signatories – Africa Check, FactCheckHub, and Dubawa – alongside other partners such as the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), RoundCheck, Digital Africa Research Lab, Daily Trust, TheCable, Premium Times, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), and FactsMatterNG.
The off-cycle election, held on September 21, recorded numerous instances of mis/disinformation. These false contents were spread before, during, and after the election, increasing the tension of an already intense electioneering period, particularly in the wake of recorded violence.
“One major negative impact of misinformation is distrust in institutions (INEC, the media, security agencies). There was also the pollution of the information space with outdated election results from the Edo 2020 election, leading to confusion,” said Lois Ugbede, Deputy Editor of Dubawa.
A Flood of Misinformation
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The NFC monitored the recent Edo State election and discovered numerous instances of misinformation across various media platforms before, during, and after the election. The NFC team, which consists of about 42 members, includes social media analysts, fact-checkers, journalists, and OSINT experts.
For example, the Edo gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Isaiah Osifo, claimed that the unemployment rate in Edo State was a little over 20%. However, available data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for Q4 2020 showed that the unemployment rate in Edo was 49.02%, while the underemployment rate stood at 15.86%, making the claim incorrect.
Similarly, the African Action Congress (AAC) governorship candidate in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Udoh Oberaifo, claimed that the approved Edo budget 2024 was N325 billion. A verification by NFC revealed that the total approved budget for 2024 was N342.8 billion.
The NFC witnessed the re-amplification of false content mostly by non-state actors repeatedly, especially on X, Facebook, and TikTok during the election.
Opeyemi Kehinde, Editor at FactCheckHub.
According to Opeyemi, who is also the National Coordinator of the NFC, election misinformation is surging in Nigeria as politicians now embrace disinformation campaigns as part of their strategies to win the hearts of the electorate or influence voting outcomes.
“Misinformation is alarming and calls for concern, especially during elections,” he added.
More Efforts from NFC
Allwell Okpi, a senior researcher at Africa Check, offered recommendations on how the NFC can improve its efforts in combating misinformation, especially around elections. He noted that the coalition needs to work towards registering for on-site election monitoring.
According to Allwell, securing a collaboration with INEC would provide the NFC an opportunity to address election stakeholders at pre-election meetings convened by the electoral umpire. He believes this would “be great for showing the danger of disinformation and warning election stakeholders that we are watching them.”
“There is a need to identify election disinformation patterns in Edo and previous elections to help preempt and proactively prepare for recurring types of misinformation and disinformation,” he emphasized further.
