Senate President Godswill Akpabio has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over an alleged false and inflammatory statement being circulated on Facebook and other social media platforms in his name, Peak Newspaper reports.
The petition, made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday by Akpabio’s Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, was submitted by the Senate President’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze.
The petition urged the DSS to investigate what Akpabio’s office described as a “manifestly false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive statement” allegedly attributed to the Senate President.
The statement was circulated alongside Akpabio’s photograph and official designation and allegedly quoted him as saying: “Northerners, you will be the ones to suffer the most, if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.”
However, Akpabio’s office strongly denied that he made the statement, saying there was no evidence linking the alleged comment to any speech, interview or official communication by the Senate President.
According to the petition, “Akpabio did not make this statement. No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recordings, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it.”
The Senate President’s office also raised concerns about the origin of the graphic, noting that it did not contain any identifiable publisher or verifiable source.
It alleged that the material may have been deliberately designed to appear as an authentic statement from Akpabio in order to mislead members of the public, provoke anger against him and create the impression that he was threatening people from Northern Nigeria.
The petition further identified some Facebook users who allegedly circulated the graphic at an early stage.
Among those mentioned were Abdullai Musa, who reportedly shared the material in a Facebook group known as “Sheikh Muhammad bin Uthman group 24”, and Uzoma Chilaka, who allegedly shared it alongside commentary attributed to Boniface Uzoma Chilaka and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar.
A verified Facebook account belonging to Ibrahim Umar Ammar was also mentioned as having subsequently shared the same graphic and similar commentary.
Akpabio’s office, however, cautioned that the individuals mentioned in the petition should not be presumed guilty before the conclusion of any investigation.
It described them as persons of interest whose publication records and other relevant information could assist investigators in determining the origin and distribution network of the alleged fake statement.
The petition urged the DSS to investigate the source of the graphic, including the identity of its creator, original uploader, possible sponsors and intermediaries involved in its circulation.
It also requested that relevant digital records, communications and the provenance of the image be examined in accordance with the law.
The development comes amid increasing political activities and heightened use of social media platforms ahead of the 2027 general elections, with political figures and their supporters increasingly relying on online platforms to campaign, mobilise supporters and communicate with voters.
Akpabio’s office is therefore seeking an investigation into the alleged statement, insisting that the Senate President should not be wrongly associated with comments capable of creating tension between different sections of the country.
