AFP, n international news agency has debunked the claims by an online post in Nigeria that a lawyer working for the detained separatist leader, Nnamdi Kanu also works for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
The claim which was widely shared and re-tweeted had many affirming erroneously that Peter Obi is a member of the proscribed Indigenous People Of Biafra, IPOB.
AFP on Tuesday reported this story as false and misleading. The report states: “Kanu’s lawyer Mike Ozekhome is not part of Obi’s legal team contesting the results of the February election. However, he is an adviser to Atiku Abubakar, who has also disputed the outcome of the presidential polls that saw him declared runner-up to the winner Bola Tinubu”.
“11th May is the court of MNK, Ozekhome is part of @PeterObi legal team, and Obi’s election tribunal is on the same date 11th May (sic),” reads a tweet published on May 9, 2023.
Ozekhome is a senior constitutional lawyer and professor in Nigeria. “MNK” refers to Kanu who remains in detention despite a court dismissing various charges against him, among them terrorism.
The tweet was posted by Simon Ekpa, a self-declared leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Kanu, however, is considered the de facto head of the organisation.
Ekpa has a history of publishing content sympathetic to IPOB and Kanu. AFP Fact Check has debunked previous false claims.
The post in question has been retweeted more than 1,500 times and received another 1,800 likes.
It was shared elsewhere on Twitter, with people commenting that “Peter Obi is IPOB
With report from AFP