Former President Goodluck Jonathan has warned Nigerians to disregard a widely followed Instagram account operating in his name, declaring that he does not own or operate any personal account on the social media platform.
The warning follows the growing popularity of an Instagram page using the handle @goodluck_ebelejonathan, which has amassed more than 300,000 followers and hundreds of posts while presenting itself as linked to the former Nigerian leader.
In a statement issued by his media adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan’s office described the account as fake and accused its operators of repeatedly misleading members of the public through impersonation.
According to Eze, the former president has no official presence on Instagram and has never authorised anyone to create or manage an account on his behalf.
“The public should take note that the account represents itself as a fan page at times and impersonates the former president most of the time,” Eze said.
He disclosed that the account had repeatedly altered its identity in an apparent attempt to evade detection, revealing that the username had already been changed 13 times.
“The username has been changed 13 times and counting, and we hope that Meta does the needful in due time,” he added.
Jonathan’s media office further alleged that content appearing on the page was largely copied from the former president’s verified Facebook platform and reposted in a way that could mislead followers into believing the account was authentic.
The account reportedly has more than 300,000 followers and over 250 posts, raising concerns about the number of users who may have been deceived into believing it belongs to the former president.
His office urged media organisations, supporters and members of the public to avoid sharing content from the account and to rely only on verified communication channels.
The former president remains active in democracy advocacy, peacebuilding initiatives and public affairs engagements across Africa and beyond, with official statements typically released through recognised spokespersons and verified platforms.
The warning adds to growing concerns over the misuse of social media identities and the spread of misleading content through impersonation accounts targeting public figures.
