Claim: A claim flying around on Social Media suggests that, as a way of opposing Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential election, a former Military Head of State General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) shared a quote by a revolutionary reformer, Usman Danfodio, who founded the Sokoto Caliphate.
Full text: The text reads, “Once again, I will like to quote the Late Usman Dan Fodio, who said “The death of thousand good men is not as tragic as having an unfit man in a position of National leadership“.~ IBRAHIM BABANGIDA
Verification: After a thorough online investigation by PRNigeria, a Twitter account which goes by the name ‘ Ibrahim B. Babangida’ with username @General_Ibbro was discovered.
The account which has 81.1k followers first tweeted the quote four 4 days ago.
However, more findings revealed that IBB as former President Babangida as is fondly called has no social media accounts. He once clarified this in a widely published rejoinder which countered a similar false claim that he endorsed Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
In that counter narrative by his spokesperson Prince Kassim Afegbua, IBB said, “It is not true, please. Ignore the report of the endorsement. IBB doesn’t have a Twitter handle.
“If he is going to speak, it will be through a signed statement, not Twitter. Those behind the Twitter statement are liars”. It was also published by SUN, The Nation, and PRNigeria here.
Conclusion: Finding by PRNigeria revealed that the claim originated from a parody account and not from the former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida popularly known as IBB who usually expresses opinions through signed statements.
PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim is MISLEADING.
