FACT CHECK: Video of Tinubu Shaking Dignitaries With Left Hand Is fake

An X user, @UchePokoye, has shared a video falsely suggesting that President Bola Tinubu could not use his right hand to shake hands with dignitaries at an airport.

The post, published on October 24, 2026, carried the caption: “In this video Tinubu’s right hand seems paralyzed. He couldn’t shake people with it, he couldn’t raise it up, he lean to the plane on his left. Is he a lefty?”

The video showed Tinubu greeting dignitaries with his left hand as he arrived at an airport. It also showed military personnel standing guard for the president saluting with their left hands as Tinubu, his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, and other dignitaries boarded the presidential aircraft.

However, a forensic examination by Daily Trust found that the video was a mirrored version of the original footage, which reversed the positions and movements of the people in the scene.

Checks using Hive Detect AI, InVID and Google reverse image search identified the original versions of the video. The original footage showed Tinubu shaking hands with dignitaries using his right hand, while the military personnel saluted with their right hands.

The mirrored video therefore altered the direction of the actions depicted, creating the false impression that Tinubu used his left hand to greet the dignitaries and that the military personnel saluted with their left hands.

As of the time of this fact-check, the post had garnered 97,400 views, 632 likes, 245 comments, 85 bookmarks and 301 reposts.

Verdict: False. The video was mirrored and does not accurately represent the original footage. The original video shows Tinubu shaking hands with dignitaries using his right hand and military personnel saluting with their right hands.

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