Presidency breaks silence on Tinubu–Kagame Paris meeting photo

The Presidency has addressed the controversy surrounding a photograph from President Bola Tinubu’s reported meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Paris, which sparked widespread online debate after a Grok watermark was spotted on the image.

The meeting between President Tinubu and President Kagame was said to have taken place on Sunday in Paris, France.

However, reactions intensified on social media after the photograph shared on the President’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account appeared with the watermark of Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, the AI company owned by Elon Musk.

The same image was also reposted by the President’s Special Assistant on New Media, Dada Olusegun, further fuelling speculation and criticism online.

Several users questioned the authenticity of the photograph. An X user, Olayinka (@mickoly), asked, “Where in Europe is Tinubu? Why post a Grok-generated photo? No real photo from the meeting?”

Another user, Joshua Siyanbola (@JoshuaSiyanbol4), wrote, “The picture seems to be AI-generated. In fact, it carries a Grok signature. I believe we can do better.”

Others echoed similar concerns, citing the visible watermark as evidence.

In response, the Presidency has dismissed claims that the photograph was artificially generated, describing the reports and social media commentary as a misrepresentation of facts.

In a statement issued by the President’s media office, the Presidency clarified that the image is authentic and was not generated by artificial intelligence.

According to the statement, President Tinubu and President Kagame met in Paris on Sunday, where they had lunch together. The two leaders later joined French President Emmanuel Macron for dinner the same evening.

The Presidency explained that the photograph was taken with a mobile phone and initially had poor image quality. It was later enhanced using Grok to improve clarity, which resulted in the watermark appearing on the image. The use of the tool for enhancement, the statement said, does not mean the photograph was AI-generated.

The media office further faulted commentators and publishers for drawing conclusions without seeking clarification.

The statement was signed by Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.