Facts

• A BBC investigation has found that Nigerian political parties have been secretly paying social media influencers to weaken their opponents' respective campaigns by spreading disinformation ahead of the general elections in February.
• According to the report, prominent influencers and whistle-blowers working for two of Nigeria's political parties told the BBC that political parties distribute cash, expensive gifts, public sector contracts, and political appointments for the influencers' work.
• An anonymous Nigerian politician reportedly revealed that he and his party had paid an influencer up to 20M Naira ($45K) for his work, while an anonymous political strategist said that fake stories are often created to "misinform in a suitable way."
• The BBC also uncovered and reported multiple Twitter accounts linked to spreading disinformation regarding Nigeria's elections, some of which the social media company ultimately removed. Twitter told the BBC that it had a responsibility to safeguard political discussions from interference and incorrect information.
• Recently, influencers promoted a claim without evidence about Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi while false claims have also spread on social media about People's Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar.
• More than 90M Nigerians have registered to vote in next month's election, with 18 candidates hoping to oust Pres. Muhammadu Buhari.