Two days before Nigeria’s presidential and national assembly elections, held on 23 February 2019, a Facebook post by Pius Ade Babaleye claimed former president Olusegun Obasanjo had endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term.
Buhari has since been announced as having been re-elected.
The post features a photo of Obasanjo holding up a card with the words “Vote Buhari Again” on it. It has been shared more than 7,200 times.
The caption reads: “48hrs To PRESIDENTIAL election OBASANJO make U-turn..... Atiku has no good intentions for Nigeria. ~OBASANJO”.
A Google reverse image search shows that the photo of Obasanjo is at least eight years old. It was used in media reports published in October 2012.
In the original, Obasanjo is holding the Nigerian passport in one hand and a diplomatic passport in the other.
Obasanjo supported Buhari in the 2015 elections after he fell out with then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
But in January 2018, Obasanjo became a strong critic of Buhari and his government and backed his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, for the presidency in 2019.
There is no evidence he switched back to supporting Buhari before the 23 February presidential poll. - Allwell Okpi (27/02/2019)
Buhari has since been announced as having been re-elected.
The post features a photo of Obasanjo holding up a card with the words “Vote Buhari Again” on it. It has been shared more than 7,200 times.
The caption reads: “48hrs To PRESIDENTIAL election OBASANJO make U-turn..... Atiku has no good intentions for Nigeria. ~OBASANJO”.
Obasanjo backed Abubakar in 2019 poll
A Google reverse image search shows that the photo of Obasanjo is at least eight years old. It was used in media reports published in October 2012.
In the original, Obasanjo is holding the Nigerian passport in one hand and a diplomatic passport in the other.
Obasanjo supported Buhari in the 2015 elections after he fell out with then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
But in January 2018, Obasanjo became a strong critic of Buhari and his government and backed his former deputy, Atiku Abubakar, for the presidency in 2019.
There is no evidence he switched back to supporting Buhari before the 23 February presidential poll. - Allwell Okpi (27/02/2019)
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