The Presidency has rejected a claim by human rights lawyer and activist Chidi Odinkalu that President Bola Tinubu was not physically present at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday. Mr Odinkalu alleged that Mr Tinubu’s appearance and speech at the event were pre-recorded, even though political leaders attended the programme and local and international media covered it.
The activist made the claim in an early Thursday post on X, attaching a video of Mr Tinubu speaking at the inauguration. “It does not require close study of this clip to understand that this was a pre-recorded address. @officialABAT was not at this venue in person,” he wrote.
He added that the transitions in the video were “un-natural,” while describing the camera work as “a production” and the event as “an orchestration.” “The parties to the crime are many. Let them produce the clip of his promenade & a wide angle,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the APC inaugurated its Presidential Campaign Council on Wednesday at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja as the party commenced preparations for the 2027 presidential election. This newspaper can independently confirm that Mr Tinubu was physically present at the inauguration, contrary to Mr Odinkalu’s claim.
In response to the post, Bayo Onanuga, the President’s special adviser on Information and Strategy, accused Mr Odinkalu of letting partisan politics influence his judgement. “You’ve let partisanship cloud your vision and judgement. You are now a member of the internet mob, eager to disregard the truth and push false narratives online. You should be ashamed of this post,” Mr Onanuga wrote.
Also rejecting the claim, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, described it as an “outrageous claim.”