A Twitter user has volunteered to pay for the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s verification on Twitter following the loss of his blue check mark on Thursday.
On Thursday, Twitter stripped an array of high-profile users, including local and international celebrities, political leaders and organisations who failed to subscribe to Twitter Blue, a paid verification service, of their blue ticks.
Vice President Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, President-elect Bola Tinubu, and 2023 presidential aspirants Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are some of the top Nigerian politicians who have lost their Twitter verification badges.
Also affected by the clampdown on non-compliant accounts are several government agencies Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, among others.
Among celebrities who lost their badges were thespians Funke Akindele, Richard Mofe-Damijo, and Kate Henshaw; artists Timaya, Davido, and Tiwa Savage; and comedians AY, Basket Mouth, and Mr Macaroni.
To get verified again, those affected will need to subscribe to the $8-per-month Twitter Blue package, or risk being unverified, which will make it difficult for people to distinguish their original accounts from fake ones.
To prevent the account of Obi from being impersonated for mischievous purposes, a US-based journalist, @HisKnowledgeabl said he will foot Obi’s verification bill.
His decision followed the news that Twitter’s Chief Executive, Elon Musk extended a “complimentary subscription to Twitter Blue” to three users: writer Stephen King, actor William Shatner and basketball star LeBron James.
Since @elonmusk is personally paying for the @TwitterBlue Verification Badge of at least three celebrities, I'll pay for the restoration/monthly subscription of the Verification Badge of the People's President, H.E. @PeterObi.
We don't want criminal elements impersonating the… pic.twitter.com/2Uvysg6i6k
— Ike Ihiala🇺🇸 (@HisKnowledgeabl) April 21, 2023
As of the time of writing this report, Obi has yet to respond to the gesture.
