Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, has denied a trending story of United States President Donald Trump meeting with him. He described it as “fake and devious” and orchestrated for evil motives.
“My attention has been drawn to some pictures currently circulating on social media, falsely portraying meetings I never had. One of such images purports to show me with US President Donald Trump, alongside a fabricated claim that he praised me. Another seeks to depict me with MC Oluomo in his office, Obi wrote on his X handle Wednesday.
“Let me state categorically that both pictures are fake and doctored, and the accompanying stories are entirely false. I have not met Mr Trump recently, nor have I had any such meeting with MC Oluomo.
“These fabrications highlight the persistent dangers of fake news and disinformation in our society. They are not only misleading but deliberately designed to confuse, misguide, and distract the public. Nigerians and the international community must remain vigilant, verify information before sharing, and resist the culture of propaganda that undermines truth and integrity.
“For the avoidance of doubt, if I had such meetings, I would have personally made them public on my X handle. My politics has never been about seeking praise or cheap publicity; it is about confronting the real problems of Nigeria and working towards solutions grounded in integrity, accountability, and transparency.
“My politics is strictly focused on addressing the plight of the suffering Nigerians, by tackling insecurity, rule of law, education, healthcare, and pulling millions out of poverty.”
This week, the story has gone viral alleging that Obi met with Trump. The idea is to suggest he met him on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly presently holding in New York, which President Bola Tinubu is not attending for undisclosed reasons.
Nigeria is being represented to by Vice President Kashim Shettima. He will present Nigeria’s address to the General Assembly but is not scheduled to meet with the U.S President.
So putting out a fake story that Obi met with Trump seemed to suggest possible subversion against the government and cause friction between the two.
If government desires to track the origin of the fake story, it has the capacity to do so with the spyware at its disposal.
It is also possible that a content creator fabricated the story just for the business traffic.
Similarly, alleging that Obi met with MC Oluomo, a well known Tinubu stakeholder is seen to carry sinister intentions.
Anayochukwu Agbo
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