FACT-CHECK: Purported Letter Claiming Tinubu Admitted Election Defeat to Oba of Lagos Is FALSE
By: Peter Emmanuel |
CLAIM
On Sunday, September 20, 2026, an X user, JezebelReborn (@jezebelreborn), shared an image of a purported letter allegedly written by Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, with the caption, “There is fire in the APC camp.”
The post had attracted 61 comments, 294 reposts, 478 likes and 34 bookmarks at the time of this report.
The purported letter is dated September 19, 2026, and is presented on All Progressives Congress (APC) letterhead. It is titled “I Know the Election Is Lost – But I Will Frustrate the Main Opposition (NDC)” and is addressed to the Oba of Lagos.
The document purports to show Tinubu admitting that the election has been lost while allegedly telling the monarch that the government would use its administrative, legal and institutional powers to frustrate the opposition.
VERIFICATION
DNN FactCheck reviewed the viral letter, the X post circulating it, official State House communications, reports concerning the Oba of Lagos and Tinubu, and information relating to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) referenced in the purported document.
The purported letter presents itself as a formal communication from Tinubu to Oba Rilwan Akiolu. However, it is printed on APC letterhead and contains political statements in which Tinubu allegedly admits that the election has been lost and says the machinery of state would be used to frustrate the opposition.
DNN FactCheck found that the purported letter does not appear in the official communications published by the State House around September 19 and 20, 2026. The State House’s September 19 publication records an official statement from Tinubu on the National Affordable CNG Transit Programme, while its September 20 press releases include Tinubu’s statement on the by-elections and other government communications. No publication corresponding to the purported letter to the Oba of Lagos appears among these official records.
DNN FactCheck also examined the reference to “NDC” in the purported letter. The abbreviation is understood in the document to refer to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a registered Nigerian political party. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lists Nigeria Democratic Congress as a recognised political party. However, the letter does not spell out the party’s full name anywhere in the document, despite presenting itself as a formal political communication discussing the opposition.
DNN FactCheck found this omission to be an inconsistency in the document’s presentation. The use of the abbreviation alone does not prove that the letter is fabricated, since NDC is a legitimate Nigerian political party. However, when considered alongside the absence of the letter from official communication channels and other inconsistencies identified in the document, it raises questions about the authenticity of the purported correspondence.
The document’s use of APC letterhead is another issue requiring scrutiny. The letter is presented as a direct communication from Tinubu to a traditional ruler, yet it carries the branding of the political party.
The context surrounding the purported letter is also relevant. TheCable reported on September 14, 2026, that the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, publicly backed Tinubu’s bid for a second term during a visit by the APC Presidential Campaign Council to his palace in Lagos. Akiolu said, “For the next four or five years, there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.” TheCable’s report also reported that the monarch urged politicians to ensure that the 2027 election was peaceful.
Vanguard also reported on September 14 that Akiolu expressed confidence in Tinubu’s second-term bid during the APC campaign council’s visit to his palace. Vanguard’s report said the visit was part of the campaign council’s consultations with traditional and religious leaders ahead of the 2027 elections.
This publicly documented position does not, by itself, prove that the purported September 19 letter is fabricated. However, it provides relevant context because the viral document appeared only days after the monarch publicly backed Tinubu’s re-election bid while the purported letter claimed that Tinubu had already accepted an election defeat and was seeking the monarch’s cooperation in frustrating the opposition.
WHAT WE FOUND
DNN FactCheck found that the viral document is being presented as an official letter from Tinubu to the Oba of Lagos, but there is no verifiable official record establishing that Tinubu authored or issued it.
The State House’s official records for September 19 and 20, 2026 contain several presidential and government communications but do not contain the purported letter to Oba Rilwan Akiolu.
DNN FactCheck found that the reference to “NDC” is not a foreign-party error. It refers to the Nigeria Democratic Congress, which is listed by INEC as a recognised Nigerian political party. The inconsistency is that the purported formal letter uses only the abbreviation without spelling out the party’s full name anywhere in the document.
The document also uses APC branding while presenting itself as a direct letter from Tinubu to a traditional ruler. This, combined with the absence of the letter from official State House communications, raises questions about its claimed origin.
DNN FactCheck further found that the purported letter appeared shortly after the Oba of Lagos publicly expressed support for Tinubu’s second-term bid. TheCable reported on September 14 that Akiolu said there was “no vacancy in Aso Rock” for the next four or five years.
The viral document, however, presents a completely different account, claiming that Tinubu had accepted that the election was lost and intended to use government institutions to frustrate the opposition.
No official statement, presidential communication, APC release or credible evidence reviewed by DNN FactCheck supports those claims.
However, when considered together with the absence of the purported letter from official records and the inconsistencies identified in its presentation, there is no credible basis for treating it as an authentic communication from Tinubu.
CONCLUSION
DNN FactCheck’s review shows that the document circulating as a letter from Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, has not been authenticated.
No official copy of the letter was found in the State House’s published communications for September 19 or 20, 2026, and no evidence reviewed by DNN FactCheck establishes that Tinubu sent the document to the Oba of Lagos.
The reference to NDC is consistent with the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), a registered Nigerian political party, but the failure to spell out its full name in a purported formal political letter is an inconsistency. This point, however, is considered alongside the stronger evidence that the document cannot be traced to any official source.
The Oba of Lagos’s publicly documented endorsement of Tinubu’s second-term bid days before the alleged letter provides additional context but does not independently determine the document’s authenticity.
VERDICT: FALSE
The claim that Bola Ahmed Tinubu wrote to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, admitting election defeat and threatening to frustrate the opposition is FALSE. DNN FactCheck found no official evidence authenticating the purported letter or linking it to Tinubu, the State House or the APC.
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