A post that has been in circulation on social media claims that Tom Hanks, a Hollywood actor, has endorsed the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, via a tweet.
The post, which first surfaced two days ago, did not get a lot of reactions until recently.
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The post reads, “If Peter Obi was an American or even African American, Americans would have given him a one-way presidential ticket without him contesting. America and the world at large have not gotten the chance Nigerians have right now to correct their mistakes.
“Americans saw Peter’s speech on one of their local televisions, after his speech, there was a standing ovation for him all over America. – Tom Hanks”
Also, on his Facebook page, one Mr. Lekki shared a screenshot of Obi and Hanks’ photo alongside a video of him advising Nigerians to adhere to the actor’s advice.
The post reads “Tom Hanks tweets about Peter Obi. Dear Nigerians it’s in our hands to make it right. The world is watching and we can’t afford to disappoint ourselves.”
The post had amassed over 2,000 views, 104 shares, 170 likes, and 14 comments as of the time of filing this report.
Verification
Daily Trust checks revealed that the post in circulation is false. Interestingly, the last time Hanks tweeted with his verified handle was two years ago, on May 22, 2020.
Also, the claim that Americans had a standing ovation is false and misleading as there was no account of such in the media.
Conclusion
Daily Trust can confirm that the post in circulation suggesting Tom Hanks made a tweet endorsing Peter Obi is false.
This fact check was done in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).
