The All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council has accused the African Democratic Congress,ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar of allegedly plotting to discredit the party’s presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna State.
The council made the allegation in a press statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson, Dele Alake.
It alleged that Atiku and the ADC planned to misinform the public and manipulate public opinion through fake news, artificial intelligence generated content, deepfake videos and counterfeit documents.
According to the council, the alleged plot was aimed at discrediting President Bola Tinubu, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani and other APC leaders ahead of the campaign rally.
The statement reads “We have uncovered a well-orchestrated, devious plan by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his party to discredit the All Progressives Congress presidential campaign flag-off in Kaduna today, Saturday, October 24th, 2026.
“Through subterfuge and mindless propaganda, the former Vice President and the African Democratic Congress have perfected their plans to misinform and disinform the public, manipulate public opinion through fake news operations and planting of false news in mainstream news platforms and social media with the use of Artificial Intelligence, deepfake videos, and counterfeit documents, all in a bid to discredit the APC rally in Kaduna, President Bola Tinubu, Governor Uba Sani, and leaders of our party.
“In the last 24 hours, we have seen these tactics deployed to mislead the unsuspecting public. It began with the mischievous release of a picture of a security vehicle on a routine patrol, innocuously stationed at a junction near one of APC's numerous campaign billboards in Kaduna metropolis.
“Atiku and the ADC propaganda machinery twisted the narrative, claiming the security agents were there to protect the APC billboards in Kaduna. They then planted the story in a national newspaper known for its anti-government and anti-APC editorial stance.
“Immediately after the newspaper published the fake, distorted story, Atiku Abubakar, in a coordinated manner, latched onto it and shared it on his official social media handles to generate traffic and trends.
“Not too long after the first episode of the well-choreographed plot, Atiku Abubakar and ADC agents of disinformation released another fake letter online purportedly written by Governor Uba Sani and addressed to the Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, on the release of N2.3 trillion by the Kaduna State Government to host the APC rally.
“We are still at a loss as to how anyone can imagine and concoct this senseless and utterly baseless lie that defies logic and basic common sense. How much is the entire annual revenue of Kaduna State, or any state, for that matter, that a state would spend N2.3 trillion to host a rally?
“The N2.3 trillion that Atiku and his hirelings are circulating online is more than Kaduna State's annual budget for three years.
“For context, the combined Kaduna State budgets for 2024 (N458.271 billion), 2025 (N790.439 billion), and 2026 (N985.9 billion) are still less than N2.3 trillion.
“We know these two scenarios are only a part of the grand plan. The ADC and Atiku’s hirelings have also perfected plans to circulate old, doctored, and deepfake videos as the rally gets underway later today to show purported resentment by the people.
“We hereby use this opportunity to alert the general public about this malicious and ignoble plan.
“It is a fact that Atiku Abubakar and the ADC, his special-purpose vehicle, are incapable of winning any election. They will pull any strings, no matter how despicable and atrocious, to stay afloat in their desperate bid to grab power at all costs. We urge Nigerians to be vigilant and reject their machinations. “