A man who appeared in a viral video allegedly inflating figures during a political gathering in Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu’s ward in Abia State has claimed that the footage was generated with artificial intelligence.
The video, which circulated widely on social media last week, showed a man at what appeared to be a ward meeting reciting inflated figures to a crowd. The clip quickly sparked reactions online, with many accusing political actors of manipulating numbers ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking in a follow-up video, the man identified in the original clip said the footage was not real and was created using AI tools. He alleged that his voice and image were manipulated to make it look like he was inflating figures for political gain.
“This video you are seeing is AI-generated. I did not say those things. My voice was cloned, and my face was placed on another person’s body,” he said. “People should be careful about what they share online.”
The claim comes amid growing concerns over the use of AI-generated content to spread misinformation in Nigeria’s political space. Fact-checking platforms have flagged several deepfake videos in 2025 and 2026, including clips falsely showing politicians fighting and infrastructure collapsing.
In one documented case, a viral video of a Lafia flyover collapsing was found to be AI-generated, with manual analysis revealing unnatural movements and merged figures typical of synthetic content. In another, a clip purportedly showing Kano politicians Rabiu Kwankwaso and Abdullahi Ganduje fighting was traced to a 2012 photo animated with AI tools.
The Deputy Speaker’s office has not issued an official statement on the specific video involving his ward. However, Benjamin Kalu has previously spoken about the risks and opportunities of AI. In February 2026, he pledged support for AI learning and tech development in Nigeria during a visit to Bildup AI Learning in Enugu, saying government partnership was needed to expand such initiatives.
Political tensions in Abia State have also fueled the spread of viral content. In May, a high chief from Bende LGA, Daniel Akwari, described claims made by Senator Orji Uzor Kalu about Deputy Speaker Kalu’s rise in politics as a “tissue of lies” and said he made a video to set the record straight….See More
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