IN SHORT: The result of Nigeria’s presidential election is being challenged in court. But the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, did not suggest the country should break up – a Facebook post to that effect is a fabrication.
Nigerians hate themselves but yet find it difficult to separate peacefully. At least that’s the startling comment attributed to South African opposition leader Julius Malema by a Facebook post.
The post claims that Malema also said: “After watching 2023 Nigeria election, I am still wondering the reason Nigeria is still living together as a country.”
Malema is the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, the second largest opposition party in South Africa.
Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 2023 presidential election. He ran on the ticket of the governing All Progressives Congress party.
But the result has been challenged in court by the opposition, a process that could take months to conclude.
The country also voted for governors on 18 March 2023.
The claim was also shared on other Facebook pages including here, here and here, as well as on Twitter.
But has Malema made such strong remarks about the political affairs of another country?
No evidence to support the claim
The posts do not give details of where and when Malema made the comments attributed to him.
We found no coverage of this in mainstream news outlets. As a public figure with a large following in Africa, such comments by Malema would have been widely reported.
A search of Malema’s Instagram account and verified Twitter page shows that he has not commented on the Nigerian election since the presidential vote. The Facebook post attributes fabricated comments to Malema.