Political disinformation is spreading in Nigeria as voters prepare to elect a new president in February. A social media post casting doubt on the academic credentials of presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso has sparked debate. The tweet insinuates that he does not hold a doctorate and claims he never published any research papers. But this is false: public records of an Indian university show Kwankwaso graduated with a PhD in engineering. He was also the lead author of a research paper published in an academic journal available online.

“Kwankwaso in March 2022, claimed to have bagged a Ph.D in Water Engineering from Sharda private university, India. A check on the varsity (sic) site shows it has no PhD. program in Water Engineering. A PhD. holder with no published academic paper(s)?” reads the tweet published on November 21, 2022, which has been retweeted more than 1,000 times and drawn 2,300 likes.

The post was posted by a Twitter user who goes by the name of Ike Ihiala. The account often shares content in support of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.

The same claim also appeared elsewhere on Twitter and Facebook.

A screenshot showing the false tweet, taken on January 31, 2023

Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party is one of 18 contenders vying to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in a national ballot on February 25, 2023.

The tweet features a picture of him speaking at London-based think tank Chatman House, where several Nigerian election officials and...

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