In Nigeria today, if you want to trend online fast, just throw Seyi Tinubu’s name into your story. It doesn’t even matter if the claim is true or false—just mentioning him is enough to grab attention and go viral.

Surprisingly, one of the loudest voices riding this wave is former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Despite being a senior statesman with a long history in politics, including past scandals like the Intels controversy and issues involving some of his associates, he seems to have no pause button when it comes to wild claims.

A recent example was a youth event in Abeokuta where Seyi Tinubu interacted with some young volunteers dressed in scout-like uniforms. Before the full story came out, Atiku quickly called it a military parade, suggesting something sinister. But a simple look would have shown that it was just a youth volunteer group.

Then came the odd rumour involving Elizabeth Jack-Rich, the wife of a former presidential aspirant. A blogger claimed that Seyi was having an affair with her. Even though the family strongly denied it, the story still went viral, and the people who started it gained quick attention online.

Now, the most shocking one yet: Seyi is being accused of arranging the kidnapping of a student leader after a ₦100 million bribe was supposedly rejected. Once again, Atiku and others jumped in to spread the story. But even Afenifere, a group that is usually critical, said the claim was completely made-up and unbelievable.

With all these examples, one thing is clear—using Seyi Tinubu’s name is a surefire way to trend online in Nigeria. It seems that people are more interested in going viral than in telling the truth. Proof and proper investigation are often ignored.