FACT-CHECK: Viral P.M. News Front Page Claiming Peter Obi Was Cured of Madness Is False

By: Peter Emmanuel |

CLAIM

A viral newspaper front page circulating on Facebook claims that P.M. News published a July 17, 2006 story titled, “How I Was Cured of Madness – Peter Obi, Anambra’s Gov Gives Testimony in Church.”

The image was shared on September 17, 2026, by Facebook user Abdulkarim Kashim Salaudeen, whose post had six likes and 10 comments as of the time of this report.

Political and social media commentator Marvel Bnji also shared the image on Facebook.

Another Facebook user, Omoniyi Rector, shared the image with the caption:

“How I was cured of Madness _ Peter Obi, Anambra’s Governor Gives Testimony In Church..
PM News 17, July 2006”

The post had 31 likes, 17 comments and eight reshares as of the time of this report.

Peter Obi is a former Anambra State governor and 2027 presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). The claim is being circulated in the current political environment ahead of the 2027 general election.

VERIFICATION

P.M. News has confirmed that the newspaper front page is fake.

In a statement published by P.M. News on September 17, 2026, the newspaper said the circulating image had been digitally altered and was not an authentic representation of its July 17, 2006 edition.

According to the statement, the photograph of the actual subject of the original story was replaced with a photograph of Peter Obi, while the name on the newspaper’s rider was also changed to Peter Obi’s name.

P.M. News also said it never published the purported story titled, “How I Was Cured of Madness – Peter Obi, Anambra’s Gov Gives Testimony in Church.”

Former Group Managing Editor of TheNEWS, P.M. News and TEMPO, Babafemi Ojudu, also debunked the circulating image. Ojudu said he occupied the position on the date shown on the purported newspaper edition and stated that the material had been digitally altered.

Ojudu said the version circulating online was made by altering an authentic newspaper page, adding that the image had been digitally manipulated.

WHAT WE FOUND

A comparison of the viral image with the authentic July 17, 2006 P.M. News edition shows that the original story did not concern Peter Obi.

The original front page featured Femi Fani-Kayode, whose photograph appeared alongside the headline “HOW I WAS CURED OF MADNESS.”

The viral version retains several genuine elements of the original newspaper page, including the P.M. News masthead, July 17, 2006 date and other stories published on the page.

However, the photograph of the original subject was replaced with Peter Obi’s photograph. The name on the newspaper’s rider was also changed to Peter Obi.

The alteration makes the image appear to be an authentic historical newspaper report about Peter Obi when it is not.

The circulation of the altered image is particularly relevant in the current political environment because Peter Obi is contesting the 2027 presidential election as the candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress. The INEC final list released in September 2026 identifies Obi among the presidential candidates for the election.

However, the political context does not change the evidence concerning the newspaper page. P.M. News has expressly denied publishing the Peter Obi version and said the material was digitally altered.

CONCLUSION

The viral front page is a digitally altered version of an original P.M. News publication from July 17, 2006.

The original page featured Femi Fani-Kayode, not Peter Obi. His photograph and identifying details were replaced with those of Peter Obi to create the false impression that P.M. News published a story about Peter Obi being cured of madness.

P.M. News has denied publishing the purported Peter Obi story, while Babafemi Ojudu, who was Group Managing Editor of TheNEWS, P.M. News and TEMPO at the time, has also confirmed that the material was altered.

VERDICT: FALSE

The claim that the July 17, 2006 P.M. News front page reported that Peter Obi was cured of madness is false. The viral image is a digitally altered version of an original newspaper page and is false political content circulating during the 2027 election period.