Claim
Social Media users posted an image of the current Imo State governor with a person who dressed like a traditional ruler from northern Nigeria and claimed that the governor had installed a new emir in the State.
Verdict
This is MISLEADING. A simple Google Image Reverse Search showed that this was a photo of the Imo governor with the then newly Chief Iman, Suleiman Njoku in February 2020.
Full Text
It didn’t take long for the purveyors of misinformation and disinformation to resume their intentional acts in early 2025.
Without positive goals to achieve, X and other social media users have shared an image of the current Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, with a person who dressed like a traditional ruler from northern Nigeria and claimed that the governor had installed a new emir in the State.
@Agness_Nwanneka shared the image with a caption that reads, “HOPE UZODINMA INSTALLS AN EMIR IN IMO STATE THE FIRST EMIR IN IGBO LAND.
The post garnered over 4k views and more than 36 likes.
Another user on X, @DOluwunne posted the photos and wrote, “Hope, don’t start what you can’t finish?
*HOPE UZODINMA INSTALLS AN EMIR IN IMO STATE THE FIRST EMIR IN IGBO LAND.*
*“NDI IGBO, WE’RE AT WAR, STAND UP AND DEFEND YOUR LAND FROM THESE lFULANI MARAUDERS.*
*“YOU EITHER FIGHT TO LIVE. OR STAND TO BE KILLED.*
This post generated more than 3k views and many reposts on X.
This claim was also published on Instagram.
Verification
First, a simple Google Image Reverse Search showed that this was a photo of the Imo governor with then-new Chief Iman, Suleiman Njoku, in February 2020.
The governor hosted members of the Imo state Muslim community to a meeting at the government house.
The high point of the meeting was the official presentation of the new Chief Imam of the state, Barr Suleiman Njoku, to the governor.
Watch the video of the meeting here.
This FactChecker also cited the photo on the website The Muslim Voice, Nigeria which confirmed that this person being depicted as the new Emir was Suleiman Njoku, the Chief Iman in Imo State.
FACTWATCH Nigeria discovered that in the screenshot of the claim shared by the X users, was Charly Boy, a social media influencer who made the claim.
But checks on his X account profile indicated that he had deleted the post. This shows that it was a deliberate act to mislead the public.
Further checks by this FactChecker showed that this claim was first posted on Facebook in 2020.
Conclusion
A photo of Governor Uzodimma’s meeting with the Imo State Chief, Iman Suleiman Njoku, in 2020 was used to depict an alleged new Emir in the State. Therefore it’s MISLEADING.
