Several websites that emerged during Nigeria's general elections in February 2023 have been discovered by the BBC to be disseminating false information and reaching thousands of people. The BBC investigated three of these recently established websites.
2023 Nigerian Presidential Election
Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially announced Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2023 presidential election. Tinubu garnered a total of 8,794,726 votes, securing victory over his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), who received 6,984,520 votes, placing him in second place.
With nearly 90 million eligible voters in Africa's largest democracy, many Nigerians had hoped that a new leader would address pressing issues such as insecurity, economic challenges, and the increasing poverty rate.
However, almost seven months after the fiercely contested elections, the nation continues to grapple with deep divisions, evident in the reaction to the recent ruling regarding the opposition's challenge to the election results.
Websites Spread Fake News in Relation to the 2023 Nigerian Election
The BBC's investigation has revealed that many websites were established in the lead-up to Nigeria's February 2023 general elections. These websites appear to profit from the spread of disinformation due to the large number of advertisements displayed on their platforms. They blend fictional stories with real news articles covering sports, entertainment, and politics, sometimes generating as many as 700 articles per month. Furthermore, these websites exhibit bias by either favoring or attacking politicians in Nigeria.
Nearly seven months after the Nigerian elections, the country remains deeply divided. It is possible that the disinformation disseminated by these websites is exacerbating these divisions.
Mojirayo Ogunlana, a lawyer based in Nigeria, recalls that she encountered stories on X originating from previously unknown websites in the lead-up to the elections. Many of these stories were also circulating in her WhatsApp groups. She notes that the average amount of false news was overwhelming, stating, "There was hardly a day without fake news making the rounds on social media. It was making me lose trust."
Mayowa Tijani, a researcher specializing in disinformation, closely monitors the growth of these websites. He asserts that they had a "clear impact" on the elections as their narratives became national talking points. Furthermore, they persistently promote false stories.
He explains, "Now, when one of these websites propagates a false story, there's a high likelihood that other websites will pick it up, amplifying its influence on social media. They collaborate in propagating it, and it transcends the digital realm, gaining even more traction and becoming the prevailing narrative."
BBC’s Analysis of These Websites
The BBC Global Disinformation Team conducted an analysis of three recently established websites: Podium Reporters, registered in 2021; Reportera, in July 2022; and Parallel Facts, in May 2023. Mr. Mayowa Tijani suggests that the timing of their creation was deliberate.
Initially, it seemed that these websites aimed to support specific candidates during elections. However, Mr. Tijani believes that their publishers also sought to generate substantial advertising revenue from their sites.
To gauge the potential earnings of these websites, the BBC Global Disinformation Team consulted media experts. IT and Digital Marketing consultant Yusufuddeen A Yusuf indicated that they could earn anywhere between $100 to $10,000 (£80 to £8,000) per month. He explained that stories with high engagement tend to drive significant traffic, resulting in higher ad revenue.
Politicians Helped the Mentioned Websites to Gain Fame
Politicians also played a role in boosting the popularity of these websites by sharing their stories. For instance, Festus Keyamo, the current Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, shared multiple stories from Podium Reporters during the elections.
Furthermore, Peter Obii from the Labour Party actively engaged with Parallel Facts by participating in two Twitter Spaces sessions. One of these engagements contributed to a significant growth in the website's mentions, increasing from less than 10,000 to 40,000 between May and July 2023.
Who Are Running These Websites in Question?
Notably, Parallel Facts is owned by Kingsley Izuchukwu Okafor, who describes himself as having an interest in technology, public relations, and a stance against "bad governance" on his social media profiles. He has previously posted a photo of Peter Obi, expressing support for him by stating, "Obi is the man."
Despite its slogan, which reads, "No Clickbait, No Propaganda, and No Fake News," the BBC investigation findings suggest otherwise, indicating that the website is involved in disseminating false information.
Between June 19 and July 15, the BBC identified multiple news stories on Parallel Facts' website that contained false information. One of these stories, published on June 27, asserted that Yakubu Mahmood, the chairman of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was purportedly "trying to criminally give APC 25% of the votes in Abuja."
However, there is no credible evidence to support the claim that INEC or Mr. Mahmood manipulated the election results in the capital as alleged.
Reportera is another website with a political bias favoring the Labour Party. In a pinned tweet, the website explicitly states that it does not recognize Mr. Tinubu's government.
Over the course of one month, the website published four stories that were found to contain verifiably false information. One of these stories erroneously claimed that President Tinubu had come in third place in the election.
Furthermore, Reportera misrepresented the findings of a BBC investigation on the election. In an article published on June 28, Reportera asserted that the BBC had "concluded that there was a clear case of voter suppression," implying that Mr. Tinubu's victory was questionable. However, no such conclusion was reached in the actual BBC investigation.
The investigation revealed discrepancies in vote tallies in some areas of Rivers State, with votes for the Labour Party being reduced and those for the APC being inflated, but it did not cast doubt on the election results in the way that Reportera suggested.
Meanwhile, Podium Reporters, whose ownership is still unrevealed, consistently publishes favorable stories about the ruling APC.
On July 4, 2023, the website featured an opinion article regarding the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a separatist group that has been declared a terrorist organization by the Nigerian government. This article contained several false claims, including the claim that Mr. Obi's candidacy had been "formally adopted" by IPOB. This association between Mr. Obi and IPOB is a recurring theme in Podium Reporters' stories, with seven instances observed within a one-month period.
It is worth noting that both Mr. Obi and his political party have consistently denied any links to IPOB, and the group has never openly endorsed him as a candidate.
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