Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Mr Daniel Bwala, has alleged that a significant portion of supporters of Mr Peter Obi on social media are non-human or bot-controlled accounts.
Mr Peter Obi
Bwala made the claim on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today while responding to criticisms that the Presidency was overly focused on the activities of the former Labour Party presidential candidate.
The presidential aide was reacting to claims that the Federal Government appeared preoccupied with Obi because of his performance in the 2023 presidential election, where he secured over 6.1 million votes.
According to Bwala, the online influence of the “Obidient” movement is amplified by manipulated social media accounts rather than reflecting a large organic following.
“When we keep quiet, Peter Obi and his supporters from morning till the next morning are talking about the Asiwaju government.
“When we respond to them, people say we are reacting to them,” he said.
Bwala alleged that many accounts associated with the movement were automated or manipulated to influence online conversations.
“Peter Obi has a followership called the Obidients that are largely made up of people that are not human beings. We call them bot accounts.
“If you are familiar with social media and algorithm manipulation, you will understand this,” he said.
He further claimed that Obi’s actual human supporters were fewer than portrayed online.
“The real Obidients that are human beings, when you see them physically on the streets, they are not very many,” Bwala added.
Neither Obi nor the Labour Party had officially responded to the remarks as of the time of filing this report.
