Factcheck: Photo showing Yahaya Seriki with Bukola Saraki not recent

A photograph circulating on Facebook purportedly showing Kwara governorship aspirant, Yahaya Seriki, with former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is being misleadingly presented as a recent development following the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary election in Kwara State.

The image surfaced shortly after the APC primary election, prompting speculation among social media users that Seriki’s appearance alongside Saraki, a leading figure in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), suggested dissatisfaction with the outcome of the exercise.

However, checks by The Informant247 show that the photograph is not recent.

A reverse image search conducted using multiple verification tools traced the image to July 2024, months before the APC governorship primary election. Findings showed that the photograph was taken during a condolence visit by Yahaya Seriki and other associates to the Saraki family following the death of Mrs. Florence Morenikeji Saraki, mother of the late politician and statesman, Dr. Olusola Saraki.

The image had originally been shared in connection with the condolence visit and bore no relationship with the recent APC primary contest in Kwara State.

Further review of posts sharing the image also found no credible evidence linking the photograph to any post-primary political alliance, meeting, or reaction by Seriki after the APC exercise.

CLAIM

The image of Yahaya Seriki with Bukola Saraki was taken recently after the APC governorship primary election in Kwara State.

VERDICT

Misleading. The image is old and was first published in July 2024 during a condolence visit to the Saraki family after the death of Mrs. Florence Morenikeji Saraki. It is unrelated to any recent event.