The Director of Strategic Communication at the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using political allegations and propaganda to deflect attention from the Tinubu administration’s economic record.
In a statement responding to remarks by Dele Alake, Shaibu described the allegations against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the ADC as an attempt to distract Nigerians from rising living costs and other economic challenges.
Alake had reportedly accused Atiku and the ADC of a “devious plan” involving artificial intelligence manipulation and deepfakes. Shaibu argued that the statement did not provide evidence linking the opposition figures to the alleged letter or fabricated video.
He challenged Alake to publish supporting evidence, including the names of those allegedly involved, relevant dates and forensic findings.
“Until then, his ‘fake news alert’ is an empty political stunt,” Shaibu said.
The ADC campaign spokesperson argued that Nigerians did not need political accusations to understand the country’s economic difficulties, pointing to the high cost of petrol and diesel, food prices and declining household purchasing power.
He cited petrol prices of about ₦1,400 per litre and diesel prices exceeding ₦2,000 per litre, while also referring to a World Bank poverty estimate reported by Reuters.
Shaibu maintained that the economic situation reflected the consequences of the government’s policies rather than misinformation by opposition parties.
