“Orji-Uzo Kalu To Join Mazi Nnamdi Kanu For Biafra Referendum Cries As Tinubu Deny Him Senate Presidency (sic),” reads a Facebook post published on June 11, 2023.
The 13-minute video includes footage from a Nigerian senate plenary, pictures of Kalu and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, as well as voiceovers from a narrator. The plenary footage shows Kalu speaking.
The video was also posted on YouTube and opens with a line of text reading “Nigeria is against Igbos, I will join MNK & Biafra freedom”. “MNK” refers to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The group wants independence in Nigeria’s southeast region, and its supporters regularly resort to disinformation in their campaigns. Numerous false claims have been debunked by AFP Fact Check.
In November 2021, Kalu had advised Kanu to forgo his calls to secede after visiting the IPOB leader in detention (archived here).
Kalu is currently vying for the senate presidency, defying the ruling All Progressives Congress party’s preference for Godswill Akpabio (archived here).
However, the claim that Kalu declared allegiance to IPOB because the APC...
A US judge has dismissed veteran singer Smokey Robinson's defamation claim against four former housekeepers who have accused him of sexual assault. The women sued the Motown star, 86, last year fo...