On Thursday morning, an X user @PO_GrassRootM shared a screenshot of a video from Arise TV’s YouTube channel, claiming the Rivers State Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was wearing a cap with an insignia common with President Bola Tinubu.
His post featured a man in light blue attire and a cap. Accompanying it were the words, “INEC state commissioner wearing Bola Tinubu’s cap”.
As of Friday afternoon, the post had generated over 229,000 views, 390 comments, 1,700+ retweets and 3,400+ likes.
CLAIM: INEC state commissioner wore Bola the Tinubu cap
@PO_GrassRootM’s post on Thursday
VERIFICATION: To verify this claim, FIJ checked the Arise News publication on YouTube.
The newspaper found that Arise TV correctly referred to Johnson Alalibo as the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).
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Alalibo appeared in the report. FIJ has attached a screenshot of him speaking to the channel. This screenshot is from the same video the X user shared the caption from. He did not wear a cap, and his appearance differs from the image in the X post.
Alalibo speaking to Arise TV
FIJ also checked other media publications of the same report to verify the narrative attached to the post.
A Televison Continental (TVC) report published on the same day contained the REC’s statements and a press briefing with Tony Okocha, the ousted chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Arise TV’s report also contained this briefing, but unlike theirs, the TVC report included a banner stating Okocha’s name. The banner read, ‘Tony Okocha APC Faction Insists On Boycotting October 5 Poll’.
TVC report
FIJ observed that Okocha matched the image the X user shared. While two different men spoke to the press, the X user used Okocha’s image to claim the REC was donning the president’s signature cap.
CONCLUSION: The screenshot shared on X was an authentic image from a published news report, but the attached narrative did not tell the true story as it misrepresented facts.
VERDICT: False
The post FACT-CHECK: Did INEC Commissioner Wear Tinubu Cap As Claimed By X User? appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.