When nationwide protests broke out in Nigeria on August 1, a video emerged of a former presidential candidate Peter Obi circulated in reports claiming he was addressing protesters in the capital, Abuja. The claim is misleading, however; the video was released in June. In the clip, Obi addressed a dispute between his Labour Party and the transitional committee of the country’s trade union, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
When the Nigerian anti-government protests began on August 1, after on X shared a video of Obi addressing a crowd.
“BREAKING: Peter Obi is currently addressing peaceful protesters live in Abuja, showing his support for a peaceful protest,” the report reads. “The protesters have gathered to voice their concerns over the rising cost of living and economic challenges in the country.”
On Facebook there is a page called “Eagle Media TV Nigeria” shared the same statement on the same day.
“Peter Obi went to meet protesters at the FCT (Federal Capital Territory) in Abuja,” the caption reads.
The claim was repeated in other Facebook posts (such as here And here).
Nigerian demonstrations
On August 1, 2024, there were thousands took part in demonstrations across the country against government policies and the high cost of living (archived here).
The demonstrations turned violent, with human rights organization Amnesty International accusatory security forces killed at least 21 protesters, while police said seven people were killed but denied responsibility (archived here).
Africa’s most populous country is struggling with skyrocketing inflation and a sharply devalued naira after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ended a costly fuel subsidy and liberalized the currency more than a year ago in a bid to boost the economy.
The claim that Obi addressed protesters on the streets of Abuja was already doing the rounds on the first day of the protests.
But the video is old and has nothing to do with the anti-Tinubu demonstrations.
Video predates protests
Using the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify, we have reverse image search on multiple keyframes and found two video reports on YouTube (here And here) showing Obi giving the same speech to the same crowd, although the footage is taken from a different angle (archived here And here).
“Peter Obi intervenes as NLC raids Labour Party office,” reads one of the captions, while the other is titled “Peter Obi intervenes in LP-NLC dispute”.
The first video was published on June 25, 2024, on a Nigerian YouTube channel called Njenje Media TV. The other was a report by London-based broadcaster Arise News that followed a day later.
According to local reports, members of the transitional committee of the country’s trade union, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), picket at the headquarters of the Obi-led Labour Party over leadership disputes (archived here).
On X, Obi too turned down the misleading messages and described them as “part of a larger story of blackmail” (archived here).
“Another video circulating online of me supposedly leading a protest in Abuja is also false. The video was in fact taken during my visit to the Labour Party headquarters where I mediated a clash between the Labour Party and the NLC,” he wrote on August 2, 2024.
Another video circulating online of me supposedly leading a protest in Abuja is also fake. The video was actually taken during my visit to the Labour Party headquarters where I mediated a clash between the Labour Party and the NLC.
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) August 2, 2024
On August 4, 2024, Tinubu insisted the protesters “to suspend further protests and create space for dialogue,” his first public comments since the demonstrations began (archived here).
Obi criticized Tinubu’s speech, in which he said he had failed to address the issues that were causing unrest in the West African country (archived here).
