Tijani Abdulkabeer
Claim
A trending broadcast on WhatsApp suggests that Change.org is floating a petition calling on the US, Canada, UK to cancel the Visa of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu for rigging the ongoing presidential elections in favour of the ruling All Progressive Candidates (APC).
Verdict
True. The petition emanated from change.org but was started by a user not started by Change.org as an organisation.
Verification
To independently verify the claim, we put a call through to two members of the Change.org team who confirmed that the petition truly emanated from their platform but against popular view, it did not represent the organisation.
The petition was submitted by a registered user on their platform.
The platform was designed to allow people from anywhere to start campaigns, mobilising supporters, and work with decision makers to drive solutions. The platform is available for use by petition starters and supporters, decision makers, organisations and media personnel.
As at press time, the petition has garnered 106, 796K signatures.
Conclusion
True. The petition emanated from change.org but was started by a user not started by Change.org as an organisation.