Politics
FACT-CHECK: Viral Quote Attributed to Gov. Zulum on Rigging 2027 Election Did Not Come From Legit.ng, No Evidence He Said It
Claim: A viral screenshot circulating on Facebook claiming Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, said: “If Northerners refuse to vote Tinubu because of hardship and hunger, we will go straight and rig the election and nothing will happen.”
The post appears with the Legit.ng】 Hausa logo and has been widely shared ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Verdict: FALSE – Fabricated and Misattributed
Findings has shown that the quote is fake, and was not published by Legit.ng, and there is no credible evidence that Governor Zulum ever made such a statement.
Not from Legit.ng:
The screenshot in circulation is not an article from the credible news website Legit.ng. Analysis of the image shows it is a Facebook post made by an “Anonymous participant” inside a Facebook group named ” Legit.ng Hausa”.
The Facebook group is an open community group where anyone can post. It is not owned, operated, or editorially controlled by Legit.ng. Legit.ng itself never published the quote on its website, verified Facebook page, or other official channels.
This follows a common pattern of misinformation ahead of the 2027 elections, where anonymous accounts use the names and logos of Hausa news groups to post inflammatory quotes alongside photos of northern governors to drive engagement.
No Credible Source:
A search for the exact phrase – “If Northerners refuse to vote Tinubu because of hardship and hunger, we will go straight and rig the election and nothing will happen” – returned zero results from any credible source.
There is no record of the statement in:
• No credible Nigerian media including Daily Trust, Punch, Vanguard, Channels TV, Premium Times, and Leadership carries such.
• No press releases from the Borno State Government
• Governor Zulum’s verified Facebook page or the Borno State Government’s official channels
• No video, audio recording, or event transcript.
If a sitting governor openly declared a plan to rig a presidential election, it would be a major national news event carried by every major newspaper. None reported it.
What Governor Zulum Actually Said About President Tinubu:
Governor Zulum’s public and verifiable position on President Bola Tinubu is inconsistent with the viral quote.
Zulum is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a known political ally of President Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, who is also from Borno State. In July 2026, Zulum joined other North-East governors to publicly endorse the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for 2027.
Where he has criticized the Tinubu administration, it has been on policy grounds. For instance, he publicly criticized the President’s Tax Reform Bills, stating they “will destroy the North in its entirety” and calling for a review – not threatening electoral malpractice.
He has never been recorded threatening to rig an election for any candidate. His recent news related to the President involved ordering the arrest of individuals wearing ” Tinubu Must Go” shirts in Maiduguri, an action that was itself criticized by opposition parties.
A declaration to rig an election would constitute a serious electoral offence under the Nigerian Electoral Act.
Conclusion:
The viral post is not from Legit.ng. It is an anonymous post in a Facebook group misusing the Legit.ng name, and there is no evidence Governor Babagana Zulum made the statement attributed to him.
