Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has formally petitioned the Department of State Services to investigate the origin and circulation of a fabricated anti-North statement attributed to him, describing the material as a deliberate attempt to inflame regional tensions and provoke resentment against his office. The petition, dated September 9, 2026, and signed by his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, was disclosed by the Senate President's Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, in a statement on Wednesday. The graphic in question, which has been circulating on Facebook and other digital platforms, carries Akpabio's photograph and official designation alongside a purported quotation: "Northerners, You Will Be the Ones to Suffer the Most, If You Allow Tinubu to Lose the Election."
Akpabio's office has categorically denied that he ever made such a statement, insisting that no date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recording, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate the quotation. The petition described the graphic as having no identifiable publisher's mark or verifiable source, suggesting it was manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation for the specific purpose of deceiving the public and portraying the Senate President as threatening the people of Northern Nigeria. "The President of the Senate did not make this statement," the petition declared. "It appears to have been deliberately manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation for the purpose of deceiving the public, provoking regional resentment against the President of the Senate and portraying him as threatening the people of Northern Nigeria."
The petition has identified several individuals as "material persons of interest" who allegedly played early and substantial roles in circulating the fabricated material. According to a preliminary examination of publicly accessible Facebook records, Abdullai Musa allegedly posted the graphic in a Facebook group styled "Sheikh Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24," while Uzoma Chilaka reportedly reproduced the graphic alongside commentary credited to Boniface Uzoma Chilaka and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar. A verified Facebook account belonging to Ibrahim Umar Ammar was also referenced as having subsequently reproduced the graphic and substantially similar commentary. The petition, however, cautioned against presuming these individuals guilty before an investigation, noting that their early and substantial roles in circulating the material made them persons of interest who might possess information capable of identifying the graphic's designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network.
Akpabio's chief of staff called for an urgent investigation into the creation and coordinated dissemination of what he described as a "manifestly false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive statement." The petition urged the DSS to establish the origin of the graphic, identify those responsible for its creation and distribution, and determine whether an organised network was involved in its circulation. It also called for the investigation of the publication records, devices, communications and provenance of the image in accordance with the law.
The petition comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Nigeria's political calendar. With the 2027 general elections approaching, political activities have intensified, and social media has become a primary battleground for campaigns and mobilisation. The spread of fabricated statements attributed to prominent political figures has become an increasingly common and dangerous phenomenon, with the potential to inflame ethnic and regional tensions in a country already grappling with deep divisions. The alleged statement attributed to Akpabio, which specifically targets Northerners and links their welfare to the electoral fortunes of President Bola Tinubu, strikes at the heart of the fragile political compact that has held Nigeria's diverse regions together.
The petition's decision to name specific individuals as persons of interest reflects a growing determination by political actors to use the machinery of state security to track down and hold accountable those who spread false information about them. Whether the DSS investigation will yield results and whether it will serve as a deterrent to others remains to be seen. However, the incident has already achieved one thing: it has drawn national attention to the dangerous consequences of ethnic baiting and the urgent need for responsible political communication as Nigeria navigates the treacherous waters of the 2027 election season. The Senate President has made his position clear: he did not make the statement, he wants the perpetrators found, and he is prepared to use the full weight of his office to ensure that those who seek to divide Nigeria through lies are brought to justice.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments