President Tinubu Deletes Post After Grok Identifies His Information As Fake News
President Bola Tinubu has deleted a social media post after it was flagged by Grok, the artificial intelligence tool on X (formerly Twitter), for spreading misinformation regarding a purported diplomatic engagement at the Vatican.
In the now-deleted post, OSUN DEFENDER reports that Tinubu claimed he was received in Rome by “His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State to the Vatican,” ahead of a Mass to mark the beginning of the pontificate of “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.”
The post was accompanied by images showing the President in conversation and posing with a Catholic cleric.
However, the post quickly drew scrutiny as readers on the platform added a fact-checking context, indicating that the individual pictured was not Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
According to user-provided notes, the man in the photographs was misidentified, casting doubt on the credibility of the President’s claim.
In addition to the error concerning the identity of the Vatican official, the reference to “Pope Leo XIV” also raised eyebrows, as no such pontiff currently exists.
The last Pope Leo—Pope Leo XIII—died in 1903.
The reigning pontiff as at press time remains Pope Francis.
Following public backlash and the correction highlighted by Grok, the AI tool integrated into X, the post was quietly deleted from Tinubu’s official account, @officialABAT.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
