“AI CAN’T ERASE RESPECT: HON. ALPHA KANU DEBUNKS ‘SNUB’ VIDEO OF EX-PRESIDENT KOROMA AT ECOWAS SUMMIT”

Presidential Spokesperson, Hon. Alpha Kanu, has dismissed claims that former President Ernest Bai Koroma snubbed him during the 69th ECOWAS Summit in Lungi, describing a viral video circulating on social media as “doctored” and influenced by artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking during a recent media engagement, Kanu stated that it is “impossible” for the former president to ignore him, insisting that the widely shared footage does not present the full sequence of events.

The short clip, which spread rapidly across WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook in the days following the Summit, appeared to show former President Koroma walking past Hon. Kanu without acknowledgment at the Lungi International Airport. Within hours, political commentators and bloggers framed it as evidence of renewed tension between the two statesmen.

But according to Kanu, the video tells only half the story.

“Those who know President Koroma know he is a man of courtesy and decorum,” Kanu said. “It is impossible for him to snub anyone, least of all me. What you saw online was a cropped, manipulated clip designed to create division where none exists.”

The Presidential Spokesperson revealed that longer footage from the airport shows a cordial exchange moments before and after the segment that went viral. He blamed the distortion on the growing use of AI tools to edit and misrepresent public events for political mileage.

“This is the danger of our time,” Kanu warned. “Technology can now create a lie in 10 seconds and make it travel faster than truth. But leaders who have served this nation deserve better than to be dragged into manufactured drama.”

Political analysts say the incident highlights how easily digital content can be twisted during sensitive national moments. The 69th ECOWAS Summit itself was widely praised for projecting unity, with SLPP and APC leaders seen standing together — a rare image that many hoped would signal a new era of political civility.

Kanu urged citizens and the media to verify before sharing, and called on social media platforms to do more to flag AI-manipulated content during major state events.

“As we enjoy this season of peace, let us not allow fake clips to poison the atmosphere,” he added. “President Koroma and I have mutual respect. That respect was on display in Lungi, with or without the internet’s editing.”

In a time when perception can be manufactured with a click, Hon. Alpha Kanu’s response is a reminder: not everything you see online is what happened on the ground.