TDÂ LAGOS, Nigeria – PM NEWS and former Group Managing Editor of TheNEWS, PM NEWS and TEMPO, Babafemi Ojudu, have dismissed as fake a newspaper front page circulating on social media and falsely attributed to the media outfit.
The controversial image, which has been widely shared online, purportedly shows a 2006 edition of PM NEWS carrying the headline: “How I Was Cured of Madness – Peter Obi, Anambra’s Gov Gives Testimony in Church.”
In a statement, PM NEWS clarified that it never published such a story and described the front page as a manipulated image designed to mislead the public.
According to the newspaper, the image was digitally altered from an original publication.
The photograph used in the authentic edition was replaced with that of former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, while the original name appearing on the newspaper rider was also changed.
“Most importantly, PM NEWS never published the purported story titled ‘How I Was Cured of Madness – Peter Obi, Anambra’s Gov Gives Testimony in Church’,” the newspaper stated.
The media organisation urged members of the public not to attribute the fabricated publication to it under any circumstances.
Former PM News GME Dismisses Viral Cover
Former presidential adviser and veteran journalist Babafemi Ojudu also dismissed the viral cover, describing it as the handiwork of propagandists.
Ojudu, who served as Group Managing Editor of TheNEWS, PM NEWS and TEMPO at the time the purported edition was allegedly published, said he could “state categorically” that the material was fabricated.
According to him, the viral image was digitally created from a genuine publication that originally featured former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode.
“The image on the left was digitally created from the genuine publication shown on the right,” Ojudu explained.
He added that he hoped the clarification would put an end to questions from concerned individuals who had contacted him regarding the authenticity of the publication.
The rebuttals from both the newspaper and Ojudu come amid growing concerns over the spread of manipulated content and misinformation on social media platforms.
