UberFacts, a fact-publishing online outlet with a globally reach, on Monday, tweeted about the drug-trafficking case of Nigeria’s president-elect Bola Tinubu, sparking global trend of the issue on Twitter that All Progressive Congress (APC) media camp are scrambling to find the right response to.
The tweet, which has now been viewed by more than 14 million people across the globe, has put the matter on a global scale – adding to the series of controversies surrounding Tinubu – and putting question mark on the legitimacy of his election victory.
“In 1993, Bola Ahmed Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the US government after a Chicago court found the income came from heroin trafficking,” UberFacts tweeted.
Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and invest in Africa’s finest startups here.
In 1993, Bola Ahmed Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the US government after a Chicago court found the income came from heroin trafficking pic.twitter.com/aRzrTXJtl4
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) April 9, 2023
Last year, Nigerian investigative journalist David Hundeyin wrote a report detailing how the APC chieftain and two-term governor of Lagos State was involved in drug trafficking while residing in Chicago. Per the report entitled: “Bola Ahmed Tinubu: From Drug Lord To Presidential Candidate,” Tinubu was forced to forfeit $460,000 to the US government following a court order on January 10, 1992, obtained by the authorities to freeze some of his bank accounts containing the suspected proceeds of heroin trafficking in excess of $1,400,000.
Hours after UberFacts made the post, another Twitter handle, Daily Loud, known for publishing viral news, tweeted the same story with a link to its Instagram page for details.
“In 1993, Bola Ahmed Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the U.S. government after a Chicago court found the income came from packing and shipping heroin,” it wrote.
In 1993, Bola Ahmed Tinubu surrendered $460,000 to the U.S. government after a Chicago court found the income came from packing and shipping heroin. pic.twitter.com/MxSrEdV9mt
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) April 10, 2023
While Tinubu has repeatedly denied any involvement in heroin trafficking, documents have continuously emerged to support the allegation – mostly from courts. Late last year, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois released certified documents of the case.
It was based on available court documents that both UberFacts and Daily Loud made their tweets, which have been translated in over 15 languages so far, including Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
The issue of Tinubu’s drug trafficking is part of the charges brought before the Presidential Election Tribunal Court by the Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar and others, challenging the outcome of the February 25 election.
The applicants are praying the Tribunal to disqualify Tinubu given his involvement in heroin deals, which contravenes Nigeria’s law and makes him illegible to contest the presidential election.
While the APC media team has maintained unusual silence as the tweets spread like wildfire, the party’s presidential campaign spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, claimed that UberFacts was paid to make the tweet.
“We have all been laughing our heads off since yesterday! Some desperados went to pay the owner of a Twitter handle to attempt to verify facts that are before our Supreme Court to decide upon. Twitter is now the overall Supreme Court for some people. Chai! Illiteracy & ignorance!,” he tweeted on Monday.
UberFacts said it “wasn’t paid to post that, in cash, kernel or otherwise,” making reference to the source of court documents it shared to back up the tweet.
Besides outcry that the election, which saw Nigeria’s electoral commission declare Tinubu president-elect was overly flawed, Nigerians who have been pushing his drug-trafficking records for the rest of the world to see are worried that having someone of his repute as a president will cause further harm to the battered image of the country.
“The Uberfact publication of Tinubu’s indictment and forfeiture of drug related funds in the US is an indelible stain on our international image. I feel ashamed. The public office should be above reproach. The character and moral authority of POTFRON shouldn’t attract such dirt,” Owo Ayodeji tweeted.
They are now using VPN to make it trend worldwide.