APC accuses Atiku and ADC of trying to harm Tinubu’s campaign in Kaduna

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of trying to harm the ruling party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna today.

This claim was made in a statement signed by Dele Alake, the spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

The council said Atiku and the ADC have started what they called “fake news operations.” This includes using artificial intelligence-generated content, deepfake videos, and fake documents to damage the reputation of President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, and other APC leaders.

The council said this alleged campaign began with a photo showing a security vehicle parked near an APC campaign billboard in Kaduna. They claimed the photo was used as proof that security agents were sent to protect the party’s billboards.

According to the APC, a supposed letter from Mr Sani to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, claimed that the Kaduna State Government released N2.3 trillion to host the rally. The APC said this letter was not real.

The APC dismissed the claim as “utterly baseless.” They pointed out that the budgets for Kaduna State in 2024, 2025, and 2026 are less than N2.3 trillion.

“We do not understand how anyone could make up this silly and completely baseless lie that goes against logic and common sense. How much is the total annual revenue of Kaduna State, or any state, that a state would spend N2.3 trillion to host a rally?

“The N2.3 trillion that Atiku and his supporters are spreading online is more than Kaduna State’s budget for three years,” the statement said.

The APC alleged that these figures were meant to create a bad impression about the cost of hosting the rally. They also accused the opposition of planning to share “old, doctored and deepfake videos” during the rally to show that residents were against the APC campaign.

“We want to inform the public about this harmful and shameful plan,” the council said.

The APC also urged Nigerians to be careful and reject what they called attempts to sway public opinion ahead of the 2027 general elections.

These allegations came as the APC kicked off its presidential campaign for the 2027 election with a rally in Kaduna today.

President Bola Tinubu is expected to be at the rally at the Kaduna Township Stadium. The party plans to bring in supporters from all over the country. The APC had earlier announced Kaduna as the starting point for its nationwide campaign.

The Kaduna APC is aiming for a big turnout for the event. A support group called Arewa for Asiwaju said it plans to gather 10,000 supporters from the 19 northern states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The party’s campaign council says the Kaduna rally will officially start its effort to win Mr Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. More presidential rallies are planned across the country.

The APC's schedule includes rallies in Rivers State on 7 November, Plateau on 14 November, Oyo on 21 November, Borno on 25 November, Enugu on 28 November, and Bauchi on 29 November, among others.