Presidency: “Peter Obi’s Supporters Have Engaged In Massive Manipulation

According to Ireporter Online, the Presidency has accused supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of engaging in widespread manipulation across social media platforms.

The allegation was made on Monday by the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, during an interview on News Central Television. He described Peter Obi’s supporters as highly active online users, suggesting they dominate political conversations on social media.

Bwala stated that the rise of social media has transformed civic engagement, allowing citizens to directly challenge and criticise political leaders in real time. However, he alleged that this same space has also been used for coordinated influence and manipulation.

According to him, “If you want to know for the records, the tigers of social media are Peter Obi’s followers. Everybody knows. Some of them live abroad, where the data is free. Some in Nigeria, they have access to some of those things, most of them are in the tech. They have done a lot of manipulation.”

He added that while other political parties also have active online supporters, the most prominent group in terms of online influence are the “Obidients,” a nickname often associated with Obi’s supporters.

Responding to questions on whether he finances individuals to defend the government online, Bwala dismissed the claim, stating that he does not pay anyone for such activities. He further argued that he would not need to spend money defending himself against online narratives, referencing previous media controversies involving him.