The Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has described as utter rubbish, an audio clip on social media wherein he purportedly revealed plans by himself, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to rig the presidential election.
In a statement in Abuja on Thursday, Atiku’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, the PDP presidential candidate, said the latest fake audio clip in circulation was a confirmation of his warning last week that the opposition would deepen its propaganda ahead of the election.
The alleged fake audio:
Spokesman to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr. Charles Ehiedu, also forwarded a statement quoting an Artificial Intelligence expert, Dr. Ndubuisi Ezekwe, explaining that AI was used to produce the alleged fake audio.
The technology expert explained how Atiku, Okowa’s voices were cloned
Ehiedu statement reads: “In the run-up to the 2023 Nigerian Presidential elections tomorrow 25th Febuary, a new kind of political attack campaign has emerged, using cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to clone the voices of political figures. The most recent example involves the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his running mate Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, whose voices has been cloned using A.I. technology in an attempt to discourage voters before tomorrow’s elections .
“The viral voice recording, which purports to be Atiku Abubakar making comments about INEC, has been circulating on social media in Nigeria, causing a stir among the electorate. However, technology experts have now come forward to debunk the recording, pointing out irregularities that prove it is a fake, generated using sophisticated A.I. software that can mimic the sound and intonation of any human voice. They cited online services like www.respeecher.com and www.Resemble.ai which clone speech that are indistinguishable from the original speaker.
‘”Artificial Intelligence is an incredible tool that has many useful applications, but it can also be used for nefarious purposes,” said Dr. Ndubuisi Ekekwe, a technology expert based in Lagos. “In this case, someone has used A.I. to clone Atiku Abubakar’s voice and create a recording that never actually happened. We need to be vigilant and aware of these kinds of techniques, especially in the political sphere. I also hope the law enforcement authorities are getting more sophisticated in their investigations to hold those propagating these sort of dangerous activities”
“Dr. Ekekwe went on to explain that A.I. voice cloning technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, and it is now possible to create convincing fake recordings that are almost indistinguishable from real ones. However, there are ways to detect fake recordings, such as analyzing the waveform and frequency of the voice, which can reveal anomalies that are characteristic of A.I. generated speech.
“As the Nigerian Presidential election approaches, it is likely that we will see more instances of A.I-generated voice cloning being used in political campaigns. However, with the help of technology experts like Dr. Ekekwe, it is possible to expose these fake recordings and prevent them from influencing the outcome of the election.”
In his own explanation, Atiku’s spokesman, Shaibu said, “We warned last week that as the election approaches, there will be a spike in the rate of propaganda on social media. With barely 24 hours to the poll, we have witnessed propaganda from not just the All Progressives Congress but the Labour Party as well.
“In this latest drivel, a montage of speeches delivered by Atiku, Tambuwal, and Okowa since last year were manipulated and pieced together to give an impression that they were discussing plans to rig Saturday’s election. In this age of artificial intelligence technology, even dead people can be portrayed as delivering speeches. This is nothing new.
“For the record, Atiku has run in two presidential elections and has never been indicted or prosecuted for election violence or vote buying.
“But some people think they can sell a narrative of Atiku manipulating this election. This is indeed the height of desperation, the last kick of a dying horse. The APC and the Labour Party must note that elections are not won on social media but at the polling units.”
Atiku said the audio clip, which had been shared numerous times on WhatsApp, could be identified easily as a fake even from the tone of the purported discussants.
He added, “It is unfortunate that those seeking power will engage in outdated defeatist tactics. How can Tambuwal be referring to Atiku by his full name in a one-on-one private conversation? This is nonsensical, similar to the type of meaningless chatter about President Muhammadu Buhari being dead and replaced by one Jubril from Sudan.”
Atiku also advised his supporters not to engage in the propaganda war, which had become the style of both the APC and the Labour Party. He said they should respond by voting massively for the PDP on Saturday.
He added, “When they descend to the level of baseless propaganda, we will rise above it with dignity and respond with our PVCs. This election is a watershed in Nigerian history. Nigerians must not lose sight of what is most important, which is the need to rebuild this broken system, revitalize the economy, and improve security and the hope of the people in a united Nigeria.”
The presidential candidate called on the police and other security agencies as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain fair and neutral in the polls.
He asked them to go after those behind the audio tape in line with Section 123(c) of the Electoral Act which provides that any person who before or during an election publishes any statement to the personal character or conduct of a candidate calculated to prejudice the chance of election of the candidate or to promote or procure the election of another candidate and such statement is false and was published without reasonable grounds for belief by the person publishing it that the statement is true, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.