The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi has outrightly dismissed the trending images of him in handshake with President Donald Trump of the United States of America and another with Musiliu MC Oluomo Akinsanya, the NURTW leader in Lagos State.
Obi pointedly said that the two pictures and accompanying stories were fake, doctored, and deliberately designed to mislead Nigerians.
Obi, who stated these in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, stressed that the trend reflected the increasing menace of disinformation in Nigeria’s political space.
In the statement titled; “Clarification on Fake News and Photos”, Obi specifically said if he had such meetings, he would personally make them public on my X handle, stressing that his politics has never been about seeking praise or cheap publicity, but about confronting the real problems of Nigeria.
He wrote; “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. 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.
“My Politics Is About Issues, Not Cheap Publicity. Nigerians should treat such falsehoods with caution, as they are deliberately crafted to confuse and distract from the country’s real problems.
“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,” he wrote.
Obi emphasised his commitment to issue-based politics, centred on tackling insecurity, strengthening the rule of law, reviving education and healthcare, and lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
He said the battle against fake news is not as much about protecting his own reputation, but about safeguarding Nigeria’s fragile democracy from deliberate distortions.
Some Of Obi’s Battles With Fake News
This is not the first time Obi has had to disown false claims. During and after the 2023 elections, he was repeatedly targeted with fabricated stories, including; a fake audio recording purportedly of him and Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners’ Chapel, where he was alleged to have appealed for support along ethnic and religious lines, a development, Obi had to quickly debunked, and described it as a doctored clip aimed at stoking division.
Similarly, a forged congratulatory message supposedly issued by him to Bola Tinubu after the February 2023 polls was equally debunked by Obi, who insisted that his legal challenge to the disputed election results remained intact.
Similarly, doctored financial claims alleging Obi owned hidden foreign accounts and investments abroad, was equally debunked as Obi described the claims as fabrications planted to tarnish his anti-corruption image.
Another viral social media post suggesting he had struck an alliance with controversial figures within the ruling APC, was also dismissed by Obi as baseless.
Obi stressed that the incidents only demonstrated how opponents deploy misinformation to damage reputations and mislead the electorate.
