On February 24, a voice note attributed to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), started circulating on social media. The audio, which purportedly features Atiku, his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, suggests that the three are plotting to rig the upcoming presidential election. However, upon closer inspection, the audio has been deemed a fake.
Upon receiving the audio, various individuals shared it on social media, alleging that it was evidence of a plan by Atiku, Okowa, and Tambuwal to “interface” with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in order to rig the election. In the recording, the three can allegedly be heard discussing strategies for rigging the election.
The veracity of the audio was called into question, and the recording was subjected to forensic analysis to determine whether it was authentic or doctored. The analysis revealed that the audio had been manipulated and was 97% fake.
Experts believe that the audio was produced using sophisticated Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, which is capable of cloning the voice of any person with remarkable accuracy. These AI tools can recreate someone’s voice based on a relatively small sample of audio, which can then be used to generate entirely new audio recordings.
There are several AI-powered voice cloning tools available on the market today, including Resemble.ai, Lyrebird.ai, and Google’s Tacotron 2. These tools are commonly used in the entertainment industry to create synthetic voiceovers, but they can also be used for malicious purposes, such as generating fake audio recordings for political gain.
In the run-up to the 2023 Nigerian Presidential elections, it is likely that we will see an increase in the use of AI-generated voice cloning in political campaigns. It is essential for individuals and organizations to be vigilant and aware of these types of techniques and to take steps to verify the authenticity of any audio recordings before sharing them.
The spread of fake news and misinformation is a significant concern in Nigeria, particularly during election periods. It is vital that individuals exercise caution when sharing information on social media and take steps to verify the accuracy of any claims made.
Verdict: Doctored
The verdict is that the viral audio claiming to be Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Ifeanyi Okowa and Aminu Tambuwal discussing plans to rig the 2023 Nigerian Presidential election is a fake. The audio has been manipulated and is an ensemble of various audio files containing the voices of the persons in question, falsely edited to spread a false narrative.
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Source: MandyNews.com
