A new report has revealed how fake news and false stories played a major role in shaping the #EndBadGovernance campaign in Nigeria.
The report shows that disinformation worsened public anger, misled citizens, and deepened distrust in government.
The #EndBadGovernance Disinformation Report was released by the Grassroots Center for Rights and Civic Orientation, GRACO, Presenting the findings, the Executive Director of GRACO, Armsfree Ajanaku, said the study exposed how social media became a tool for spreading false information that weakened democracy.
According to the report, WhatsApp, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter) were the main platforms used to circulate disinformation. Some of the stories exaggerated government failures, while others completely fabricated events that never happened. These posts went viral quickly, with many citizens believing and sharing them without fact-checking.
The report noted that the lies created fear and confusion, making it difficult for people to separate truth from falsehood. This not only fueled public anger but also gave room for opportunists to hijack genuine calls for better governance.
Ajanaku explained that the spread of fake news during the campaign was not random. “The disinformation we tracked showed patterns of deliberate effort. Some actors pushed false content to mislead citizens, create divisions, and undermine trust in governance,” he said. He added that the danger of disinformation goes beyond one protest, warning that unchecked fake news could destabilize future civic movements and democratic processes.
The GRACO report called for stronger action against fake news in Nigeria. It recommended fact-checking systems to quickly expose false claims before they go viral, media literacy education so citizens can learn how to identify and resist fake news, and partnerships between government, civil society, and tech companies to curb disinformation. It also urged for clear laws and penalties for individuals and groups that deliberately spread falsehoods.
The report has been described as a wake-up call, showing how disinformation threatens governance and peace. Analysts say that while citizens have the right to demand better leadership, their voices should not be drowned by lies and manipulation.
GRACO urged Nigerians to be more careful about the information they consume and share online, stressing that democracy can only grow when truth, not falsehood, guides public debate. “Fake news is not just a threat to governanceit is a threat to national unity,” Ajanaku warned.
