Senate President Godswill Akpabio has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate a viral social media statement allegedly attributed to him in which he purportedly warned Northerners that they would “suffer the most” if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 election.
The statement, circulated on Facebook and other digital platforms alongside Akpabio’s photograph and official designation, has sparked controversy, prompting the Senate President to formally deny making the remark.
In a petition signed by his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, Akpabio described the publication as “manifestly false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive,” urging the DSS to investigate its origin and distribution.
The viral graphic attributes the following statement to Akpabio: “Northerners, you will be the ones to suffer the most, if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.”
Akpabio, however, said there is no credible evidence linking him to the statement.
According to the petition, no identifiable date, venue, speech, interview, audio or video recording, official statement or credible media report has been produced to authenticate the alleged quotation.
The Senate President alleged that the graphic was deliberately fabricated and presented as an authentic statement with the aim of misleading the public, inflaming regional sentiments and portraying him as hostile to Nigerians from the North.
Akpabio also drew the DSS’s attention to several individuals allegedly identified through a preliminary review of publicly accessible Facebook records as among the early amplifiers of the disputed material.
The petition named Abdullai Musa, who allegedly shared the graphic in a Facebook group known as “Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24,” and Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic alongside commentary attributed to Boniface Uzoma Chilaka and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar.
It further referenced a verified Facebook account belonging to Ibrahim Umar Ammar, which allegedly later reproduced the graphic and substantially similar commentary.
Akpabio’s office, however, stressed that the individuals mentioned in the petition should not be presumed guilty, describing them only as “material persons of interest” whose activities could assist investigators in tracing the origin and circulation of the disputed publication.
The Senate President is asking the DSS to investigate the publication records, devices, communications and provenance of the graphic in accordance with Nigerian law.
The petition comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections and growing concerns over the spread of inflammatory, misleading and fabricated political content on social media.
The statement was issued by Jackson Udom, Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media.
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