Tweet falsely claims Joe Biden announced Nigeria stopover en route to N. Ireland
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on April 19, 2023 at 08:13
- 3 min read
- By Fikayo OWOEYE, AFP Nigeria
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“Nigeria is a country my government holds dear in Africa. I have decided to pay a quick visit on my way to Northern Ireland (sic),” reads a tweet posted on April 12, 2023, allegedly from Biden's official account.
The tweet, which has been liked more than 300 times, was posted by an account that regularly shares content in support of Tinubu.
The post, addressed to Nigeria, also read: "With deep concern I read your grievances regarding your just concluded Presidential elections as conveyed by the ever lovely @ChimamandaReal [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie]."
Similar claims also appeared elsewhere on Twitter and Facebook.
Adichie, an award-winning Nigerian novelist, has authored several books including "Americanah" and "Half of a Yellow Sun".
The writer, who supported the Labour Party’s Peter Obi in the presidential election, criticised the US for congratulating Tinubu in an op-ed piece (archived here) addressed to Biden.
Nigeria’s electoral commission declared Tinubu the winner of the presidential poll held on February 25, 2023.
The main opposition candidates, Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, have argued that widespread irregularities and rigging marred the election.
Both men have petitioned the election tribunal (archived here) with each claiming to have won.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied any illegal activity, although it acknowledged technical problems with the voting machines.
"Congratulating its outcome, President Biden, tarnishes America’s self-proclaimed commitment to democracy. Please do not give the sheen of legitimacy to an illegitimate process. The United States should be what it says it is," Adichie wrote in her op-ed.
But the claim that Biden said he would make a stopover in Nigeria on his way to Northern Ireland is false.
Doctored tweet
Biden arrived in Northern Ireland on April 11, 2023, where he was welcomed by British prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Unlike the false post claims, there is no tweet from @POTUS – the official verified Twitter account of the US president – from April 12, 2023, saying that Biden would visit Nigeria en route to Northern Ireland.
Tweets from the account on the day include Biden addressing workers about his plan to invest in America.
Another tweet showed him stepping down from his official aircraft as he arrived in Northern Ireland. Biden later delivered a speech in Northern Ireland’s capital, Belfast, to mark 25 years since the country signed a peace deal ending decades of sectarian violence.
Biden’s travel schedule
AFP Fact Check also obtained a travel pool report, the document outlining Biden’s agenda given to the press, showing that at no point in his trip did Biden take a detour to Nigeria.
According to his itinerary, Biden touched down in Belfast at 9:16pm local time on April 11, 2023.
A calendar showing Biden’s public schedule (archived here) does not list him travelling to Nigeria.
A White House statement announced (archived here) that Biden would be in North Ireland from April 11-14, 2023. However, as of April 18, 2023, there was no announcement on the White House website (archived here) about a trip to Nigeria.
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