A quote going viral about Nigerian actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde showing solidarity with Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi has been ruled out as false as it was fabricated.
This is according to the investigation platform, African Check.
A Facebook post claims that Nigerian actor Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has said she is backing the Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed in the upcoming elections.
Nigerians will choose a new president on 25 February 2023.
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The post includes a photo of the actor, and a quote in Nigerian Pidgin which reads: “Party when dey hide palliative indomie no fit see my vote … I stand with obi-datti.”
This translates as: “I am not going to vote for a party that hid Indomie [brand of food] meant for palliative [care] … I stand with Obi-Datti.”
“Obi-Datti” is the campaign tagline for the Labour Party, fusing the names of candidates Obi and Datti.
No evidence of quote
According to the platform, African Check, the Facebook posts gave no details of when or where the actor was meant to have made this claim. This is often a red flag that a quote circulating on social media has been fabricated.
We could also find no evidence of the statement when we searched through Ekeinde’s verified Instagram and Twitter accounts.
The news platform then reached out to Ekeinde via her verified Instagram account and the email provided here but we are yet to receive a comment from her.
There have however been no reports in the local media of Ekeinde saying anything related to Obi. Given she has nearly 7 million followers on Instagram and Twitter, such an endorsement would have been newsworthy.
The quote appears to be fabricated with the hope of influencing or misleading voters in the coming elections.
