The presidency says desperate actors have manufactured a deepfake video of President Bola Tinubu to spread falsehoods and “provoke Muslims against” the Nigerian leader.
In a statement released on Thursday, the presidency tagged as “fake news” an image showing Ebuka Obi, the founder of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, praying for an individual.
The image was a screenshot from a video posted on a Tiktok handle, internetsecrets2.
However, reacting to the post, the presidency said Tinubu has never hidden his religious beliefs, adding that the president believes that Nigeria belongs to everyone.
The presidency said the intention of those who circulated the video was neither faith nor patriotism, noting that another manipulated video involving Martins Vincent Otse, a social media activist popularly known as VeryDarkman, surfaced online with a “fake audio and false attributions” aimed at portraying Tinubu in a “negative light”.
“Today, it is another deepfake video falsely framed around a religious leader in a calculated attempt to provoke Muslims against the President,” the statement reads.
“The pattern is becoming increasingly obvious.
“As the political season approaches, desperate actors will continue to manufacture outrage, distort faith, manipulate context, spread falsehoods, and push dangerous emotional bait across social media platforms and WhatsApp groups in an attempt to divide Nigerians for political gain.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has never hidden who he is. He is a Muslim. He is married to a Christian. He leads a multi religious nation built on constitutional freedom of worship, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence.
“His position has always been clear: Nigeria belongs to Christians, Muslims, and citizens of every faith and background who believe in peace, progress, and national unity.
“Before sharing such inflammatory content, Nigerians must pause and ask one simple question: who benefits from setting citizens of different faiths against one another?
“This is not faith or patriotism. Neither is it politics. This is coordinated manipulation at scale.
“We urge citizens to reject divisive propaganda, verify information before sharing, and remain vigilant against attempts to destabilise national cohesion through digitally amplified disinformation.”
