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  • 2019-02-22 (xsd:date)
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  • No, the US secretary of state did not say he refused to meet Atiku Abubakar over corruption (en)
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  • Posts shared more than 3,000 times on Facebook and Twitter claim that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo refused to meet Nigerian opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar because he had been indicted for corruption in the United States. This is false; Pompeo did not make these comments, and the US Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria says the posts are manufactured content. Abubakar has also never been formally charged with any offence in the United States. The most shared version of the post , bearing a photo of Pompeo, is captioned: BREAKING NEWS : I personally refused to meet him or have anything to do with him (Atiku). I am really surprised that an individual indicted in the United States of America of huge corruption is being considered for Nigeria President and citizens are even supporting him - U. S Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo. Screenshot taken on February 22, 2019, showing a false Facebook post about Mike Pompeo Others were posted here and here . The posts attempt to play on Abubakar’s recent visit to the United States, which was intended to disprove rumours that he was unable to travel because of the corruption charges. In January, Atiku visited Washington and met some congressmen, but not the secretary of state. The US mission in Nigeria said the comments were not made by Pompeo, describing them as manufactured content and fake news. #FakeNEWS Alert! If you have seen such manufactured content on @Facebook , or received it via @WhatsApp , please communicate that it’s fake news. #NigeriaDecides pic.twitter.com/X1g7Vlom7M — U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USEmbassyAbuja) February 21, 2019 Pompeo called Atiku and Buhari less than 24 hours before the initial election date on February 16 seeking a fair and peaceful vote, according to a statement from the US State Department. Abubakar, Nigeria’s vice-president from 1999 to 2007, is the chief challenger to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 23 presidential election. He has faced many allegations of corruption and abuse of public office, but has denied any wrongdoing, stating that he has never been indicted of corruption in Nigeria or elsewhere. (en)
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