Post falsely claims there were no photos of Nigeria’s president with world leaders at G20 summit

“Dear APC supporters, Show me a picture or video of your President with Joe Biden & Ngozi Iweala or three of them together at #G20India 2023 (sic),” reads a post published on X, formerly Twitter, on September 10, 2023.

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A screenshot of the false post, taken on September 11, 2023

APC refers to Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress.

The post features two photos showing Biden and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Okonjo-Iweala posted the same photos (archived here) on September 10, 2023, noting that they were taken at the G20 leaders summit held in New Delhi (archived here).

The misleading post claimed that the two world leaders did not take photos with Tinubu at the summit because the Nigerian leader was an “illegitimate” president. It put up a $100 reward for anyone who could disprove his claim.

In February, APC’s Tinubu won the tightest presidential election in decades in Africa’s biggest democracy ahead of People’s Democratic Party’s Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

The two opposition leaders argued that widespread irregularities and rigging marred the election. They also petitioned an election court, with each claiming to have won the ballot.

But the tribunal ruled in Tinubu’s favour on September 6, 2023 (archived here).

The Nigerian president was in India to attend the G20 summit when the court handed down its verdict.

But the claim that world leaders avoided taking pictures with him is false.

Photos from New Delhi

A keyword search for “Tinubu, Biden at G20 summit” led to a post published by the Nigerian presidency on X on September 10, 2023 – the same day the false claim was made (archived here).

The post contains a photo showing Tinubu and Biden, and a statement. Besides having a “substantive, informal exchanges of views” with Biden, the caption said Tinubu also met leaders of Germany, South Korea, India, and the presidents of the European Commission and World Bank, Ursula von der Leyen and Ajay Banga respectively.

The White House, in a readout of the leaders’ meeting, stated that they were committed to reinforcing the “relationship and to the longstanding friendship between our two countries and peoples” (archived here).

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A screenshot of the White House readout of the meeting between Biden and Tinubu, taken on September 11, 2023

A keyword search for “Tinubu, Iweala at G20 summit” led to a post the WTO boss published on X on September 9, 2023 (archived here).

It features four photos, including one that shows Okonjo-Iweala and the Nigerian president at a “G20 dinner”.

AFP Fact Check also debunked a claim that Tinubu attended the summit without being invited.