Adebayo Adenrele
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, has dissociated itself from a viral image circulating on social media, describing it as an artificially generated and manipulated photograph aimed at misleading the public ahead of the state’s governorship election.
In a statement issued by the Chairman of the Council, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, denied claims that leaders or stakeholders of the council had endorsed the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Wole Oluyede.
Babatuyi said the image, which has been widely shared online, falsely portrayed NUJ leaders and other individuals as stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who had allegedly endorsed the PDP candidate.
According to him, the claim accompanying the image is entirely false and misleading, stressing that the photograph was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and doctored to create a false narrative.
Thr statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a picture currently circulating on social media and other online platforms, purportedly showing stakeholders of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, endorsing the gubernatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State, Dr. Wole Oluyede.We wish to categorically state that the picture is AI generated and the claim accompanying the image is false and misleading.
“The individuals seen in the background of the picture are leaders and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti State council, not ADC stakeholders as alleged by the writer of the post.
“The image was taken at the NUJ Secretariat during its May Congress involving the ADC governorship candidate, Ambassador Dare Bejide, who visited the Council to present and discuss his manifesto ahead of the forthcoming election but was doctored by mischievous individuals.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Wole Oluyede, has not visited the NUJ Council Secretariat and no event involving the endorsement of any candidate by NUJ leaders or ADC stakeholders took place as portrayed.
“We therefore urge the public to disregard the image and the accompanying claims in their entirety and to verify information through credible and official sources before sharing or acting upon it”.
