[ FACT CHECKFACT ] CHECK: Did CNN project Peter Obi as Nigeria’s President-elect?

The outcome of the presidential election which held in February 25 has generated controversy as evidences of irregularities in the election litter social media.

A picture has gone viral on social media in which the Cable News Network (CNN) purportedly projected Peter Obi of the Labour Party as Nigeria’s President-elect.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, winner of the election and had promptly awarded him a certificate of return. However, candidates of the two major opposition parties – Labour Party’s Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party have rejected the results, each laying claim to winning the election. Both of them have vowed to contest the election at the election tribunal, and they have already announced their respective legal teams.

Peter Obi and the Labour Party, on Wednesday secured a Federal High Court judgement allowing them to inspect materials used in the election, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation devices. This forced the electoral umpire to postpone the governorship election scheduled for March 11 to March 18. 

While Tinubu has received congratulatory messages from world leaders, including Presidents/Prime Ministers of the US, UK, Ukraine, Ghana, Niger, Kuwait, and France, among others, his two main opponents as well as many of their supporters have refused to acknowledge him as the President-elect.

THE CLAIM

The photo purportedly shows the CNN projecting Obi as the President-elect. It is being circulated as claim that the international broadcast network had refused to acknowledge Tinubu as President-elect.

VERIFICATION

Ripples Nigeria found that the photo was manipulated. It was originally the picture of Joe Biden projected by the CNN as President-elect of the United States during the country’s November 2020 election.

The picture of Biden was replaced with Peter Obi while the seal of the US was covered with Nigeria’s coat of arms.

It should be noted that contrary to the claim, the CNN actually acknowledged in multiple reports that Tinubu is the President-elect.