In an age of instant headlines and anonymous sourcing, it is increasingly vital for media platforms and political observers alike to draw a clear line between credible reportage and coordinated disinformation. The recent claims of a supposed internal rift within the Aregbesola Democratic Alliance (ADA) over a 2026 governorship ticket that doesn’t even formally exist fall squarely into the latter category.
Investigations reveal that not only has Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola not declared for any political party, but neither have the figures alleged to be involved in this phantom conflict. Alhaji Moshood Adeoti, Rt. Hon. Najeem Salaam, and Barrister Gbenga Akano have all denied participation in any such meeting or contest and there is no verifiable record of a gathering as described.
What is at play here is not merely bad reporting but a calculated attempt to stir discord where there is none. By invoking the ADA, a still-fluid political conversation rather than a registered platform, political opponents aim to fracture a bloc they suspect could become electorally potent.
This is not a new tactic. Nigerian politics has long been plagued by the premature โticketingโ of leaders, with the media often used as a blunt instrument to provoke camps into disarray before theyโve even organized.
The Omoluabi Progressive Movement, as sources suggest, is in a period of ideological reorientation not horse-trading. That is refreshing. In a political climate often defined by ambition first and agenda later, a measured approach to grassroots rebuilding should be welcomed, not undermined.
Speculation has its place in politics but not when it becomes a substitute for truth. Media platforms must be careful not to amplify narratives engineered by shadowy operatives more interested in chaos than clarity.
As custodians of public discourse, journalists bear the responsibility of ensuring that stories are sourced, scrutinized, and free from manipulation. When credibility is sacrificed for clicks, the entire democratic fabric suffers.
If and when Aregbesola, or any of his loyalists, makes a political move, it should be covered rigorously and factually. Until then, the public deserves silence over noise, facts over fiction, and most importantly leaders who speak for themselves, not through anonymous ghostwriters of intrigue.
Now more than ever, Nigeria needs a media ecosystem grounded in integrity, not innuendo.
