A BBC investigation has discovered that political parties in Nigeria are secretly paying social media influencers to spread disinformation about their opponents ahead of elections in February.
The BBC’s Global Disinformation Team has spoken to whistle-blowers working for two of Nigeria’s political parties, and prominent influencers who have described it as an industry.
The whistle-blowers say parties give out cash, lavish gifts, government contracts and even political appointments for their work.
The BBC said it has spoken to multiple influencers who have confirmed that payment in exchange for false political posts is widespread.
With an estimated 80 million Nigerians online, social media plays a huge role in national debates about politics. BBC said its investigation uncovered different tactics used to reach more people on Twitter. Many plays on divisive issues such as religious, ethnic and regional differences.
Last July, influencers widely shared posts associating the APC’s candidate for vice-president, Kashim Shettima, with members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
This false narrative gained momentum on Twitter and was shared thousands of times, spilling onto WhatsApp and other platforms.
Using reverse image search, BBC said it found that those in the picture with Mr. Shettima were nomadic Fulani parents whose children he had enrolled in secular schools in 2017, not members of Boko Haram.