Is Buhari's aide using bots to attack PDP members on Twitter?

chika ebuzor

September 4, 2018 10:10 PM

Bots can autonomously perform actions such as tweeting, re-tweeting, liking, following, unfollowing, or direct messaging other accounts.

Demola Olarewaju a political strategist and PDP member has raised alarm at the attacks being launched against his person by President Buharis Personal Assistant on New media Bashir Ahmad.

In a series of tweets where he shared pictures of a planned online attack by a group allegedly headed by Mr Ahmad, Demola advised the presidential aide to rein in bots allegedly belonging to the Buhari New Media Center (BNMC) which Bashir Ahmad heads as National Coordinator.

He also called upon a member of the Nigerian President's media team Johannes Tobi to ensure bots created by them to stop coming for him, else he would expose "minutes of meetings, letters requesting money, phone numbers, addresses, bank details, planned propaganda etc"

On Monday, the BNMC had announced a list of appointees to various offices across the team which has been tasked by the Buhari administration to carry on its campaign on New media platforms.

Some of the key national officers named include Mr Jubril Gawat (Deputy National Coordinator South) and Abubakar Barde (Deputy National Coordinator North)

In a statement which was released on the group's website, the BNMC identified itself as "an interactive online platform that houses and connects together the various supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari on all social media platforms everywhere they are in the world, providing them a hub to receive credible information on the achievements, successes and the activities of the President Buhari Administration."

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Mr Olarewaju's allegations however point to a more sinister purpose; the use of bots and online trolls to harass notable political opponents on social media.

Wikipedia describes Bots as a type of bot software that controls a Twitter account via the Twitter API. Bot softwares may autonomously perform actions such as tweeting, re-tweeting, liking, following, unfollowing, or direct messaging other accounts.

They have been used in elections to spread false news and harass social media users with divergent views.

chika ebuzor