Newspaper images showing Atiku’s promises on rents,…

In early September 2026, social media platforms were flooded with images of a newspaper page purportedly showing African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar promising to ban rent payments and impose 10-year prison sentences on landlords. The fabricated content gained significant traction, including a share by the FCT minister’s senior special adviser on public communication, and triggered intense public debate regarding the candidate's campaign platform.

What happened

The incident involved the creation of a sophisticated AI-generated graphic designed to mimic the front page of a prominent Nigerian newspaper. The fake image utilized the name and slogan of a well-known publication to lend credibility to the false campaign promise. Analysis by the fact-checking organization DUBAWA confirmed the image was AI-generated, with detection tools providing probabilities as high as 97% for artificial synthesis.

Investigation revealed that the layout and content of the fake newspaper page did not match the actual front page published by the real outlet on the date in question. Furthermore, keyword searches confirmed that the candidate had made no such statements regarding rent policies on his verified social media channels or through any credible news media. Abdulrasheed Shehu, a media aide to the candidate, officially debunked the claim on September 2, 2026, urging the public to rely only on official communication channels. The incident highlights the growing use of AI to generate misleading political content intended to manipulate public perception during election cycles.