APC Edo Chairman Jarret Tenebe Denies Viral INEC Jacket Photo, Calls It AI-Generated
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Jarret Tenebe, has dismissed a viral image that allegedly shows him wearing an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accredited jacket.
Speaking during an interview on AIT on Tuesday, Tenebe said the picture was created using artificial intelligence.
He explained that his trip to Ekiti State was part of a forum of APC state chairmen who agreed to support colleagues during off‑cycle elections, not as an official election observer.
“We have a forum of APC State Chairmen all over the country, and we all agreed that in any stand‑alone election we must support our fellow chairmen. That is how I got to Ekiti, not to monitor elections or anything else,” he said.
“What you saw online is a creation of AI. Opposition figures know how to do this a lot, so I believe it was AI. It was not me,” he added.
Tenebe stressed that he has never been accredited by INEC as an observer and never held such accreditation.
“I was never accredited, and I have never been accredited. It’s clearly AI, and they are fond of doing it. They will continue to do it, and AI will cause problems for everybody in this country,” he stated.
He said he first saw the image on the social media handle of former lawmaker Dino Melaye, claiming it was being used to stir political drama after electoral defeats.
“Yeah, the first place I saw it was on Dino Melaye’s handle. You know Dino Melaye is fond of things like that; he knows how to create drama a lot,” he remarked.
The Ekiti State governorship election took place on June 20, 2026, as part of Nigeria’s off‑cycle governorship polls conducted by INEC.
At the end of collation, INEC declared the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji of the APC, the winner of the election.
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