Nigeria: Ignore AI-Generated Image Showing Nigerian Activist Omoyele Sowore Shaking Hands With President

7 May 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Precious Ewuji

Ignore AI-generated image showing Nigerian activist Omoyele Sowore shaking hands with president

IN SHORT: A number of social media posts claim activist Omoyele Sowore is now working for president Bola Tinubu, sharing an image of them appearing to shake hands as proof. But the image is AI-generated, and Sowore has dismissed it as fake.

An image is circulating on Facebook in Nigeria which appears to show Nigeria's president Bola Tinubu shaking hands with activist Omoyele Sowore. The posts claim Sowore is working for Tinubu and being paid to discredit opposition figures.

The image is captioned: "Tomorrow, he will organize another Kanu Protest. See the hypocrite. I informed he's working for Tinubu & receives huge sum from him to tarnish Obi & Otti. Here's the idiot."

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Sowore is a Nigerian politician and human rights activist, founder of the African Action Congress and Sahara Reporters, a Nigerian media outlet. He was the party's presidential candidate in the 2019 and 2023 elections, losing the 2023 polls to Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

Sowore has also been a loud critic of the Tinubu-led government and has previously organised protests for the release of Biafran leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

The claim suggests that Sowore is supporting a government he has publicly opposed. It has also appeared here, here, here and here.

But is the image real? We checked.

Image AI-generated

A search of credible local media outlets found no reports of Sowore publicly supporting Tinubu. Such a major update as this would have gained widespread media coverage if it were true.

The image shows several signs of manipulation using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The handshake looks unnatural, with weak grip, and their skin and finger joints appear overly smooth, a common feature of AI-generated images.

Sowore addressed the image in a disclaimer posted on Facebook on 7 April 2026. It read: 'The unlikely reactionary coalition working tirelessly to hold Nigeria down has now resorted to deploying these fake AI images in a desperate bid to distort reality."

He described the images as "manufactured" and not just "propaganda but subconscious confessions".

The image is AI-generated. For tips on how to identify AI-generated images, read our guide here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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