A video circulated online this week. It was shared as APC thugs attacking an NDC gathering in Agege, Lagos. It was not. The footage showed a traditional Egungun festival in Ibadan. The event took place three months earlier. The location was Beere area, near Oke Aremo. The clip spread amid rising worries over 2027 election tensions. A National Peace Accord was signed in August by the APC, the NDC and figures like Peter Obi.
Nigerian elections have long been accompanied by misinformation. In 2019, fake videos of violence circulated in several states. In 2023, manipulated clips spread during the presidential campaign. In 2024, the #EndBadGovernance protests were covered with old footage recycled as new. The pattern is consistent. Political actors use old clips to manufacture outrage. The audience shares them without verification. The damage is done before corrections arrive. In 2026, AI-generated content has added a new layer. A July report by SBM Intelligence found that 66.5% of Nigerians are extremely or very concerned that AI-generated political misinformation could undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.
The Agege video was falsely captioned. It showed an Egungun festival, not political violence. The real event that day was different. A shooting at an APC congress in Agege left one person dead and three injured. The police made arrests. The fake video attracted attention. The real shooting did not get the same coverage. That is the problem. Misinformation crowds out facts.
The National Peace Accord was meant to reduce tensions. It committed parties to non-violence. It has not stopped the spread of false content. The accord has no enforcement mechanism for misinformation. It relies on goodwill. Goodwill does not stop anonymous accounts from posting misleading clips.
The lesson is simple. Verify before sharing. A video without context is not evidence. A caption is not proof. The Agege shooting is real. The attack it was confused with is not.
Winners: Political actors who benefit from confusion. Social media platforms, which gain engagement. Content creators who profit from outrage. Losers: The NDC, which was falsely portrayed as a victim. The APC, which was falsely portrayed as the attacker. The National Peace Accord, whose credibility suffers. Voters, who cannot distinguish fact from fiction. The family of the Agege shooting victim, whose real tragedy was overshadowed.
Bottom Line: A festival video was shared as political violence. A real shooting happened the same day. The fake clip got more attention. Nigeria’s 2027 election will be fought on WhatsApp, X and TikTok as much as on the ground. Verification is now a civic duty. Without it, the loudest lie wins.