ABUJA — President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over the alleged circulation of a statement attributed to him in which he purportedly threatened that Northerners would suffer if President Bola Tinubu lost the 2027 presidential election
Akpabio’s Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday
In the petition to the DSS, signed by his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, Akpabio urged the agency to urgently investigate the alleged creation and coordinated dissemination of what he described as a false, inflammatory and divisive statement attributed to him
According to the petition, a graphic bearing Akpabio’s photograph and designation as President of the Senate circulated on Facebook and other digital platforms, with the purported quotation: “Northerners, you will be the ones to suffer the most, if you allow Tinubu to lose the election”
Akpabio, however, denied making the statement, saying there was no evidence to authenticate it
The petition stated: “The President of the Senate did not make this statement No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recording, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it.”
It further alleged that the graphic had no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source and appeared to have been manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation
The petition said the alleged publication was capable of misleading the public, provoking regional resentment against Akpabio and portraying him as threatening people in Northern Nigeria
It identified some persons as among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the graphic on Facebook, including Abdullai Musa, who allegedly posted it in the “Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman group 24,” and Uzoma Chilaka, whose post reportedly reproduced the graphic alongside commentary attributed to him and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar
The petition also referenced a verified Facebook account belonging to Umar Ammar, which it said subsequently reproduced the graphic and substantially similar commentary
Akpabio, however, cautioned that the individuals should not be presumed guilty before investigation
It said their alleged early and substantial roles in circulating the material made them “material persons of interest” who might possess information capable of helping investigators identify the designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network behind the graphic
The petition consequently called for their publication records, devices, communications and the provenance of the image to be investigated in accordance with the law