Akpabio Petitions DSS Over Anti-North Statement

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has alerted security agencies over a viral statement attributed to him in which he allegedly threatened that Northerners would suffer if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 presidential election.

The alleged statement, circulated on social media, claimed that Northerners would be made to suffer between January and May if Tinubu failed to secure victory in the election.

Akpabio, through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Rt. Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, described the statement as a complete fabrication and challenged those circulating it to produce evidence.

The Senate President said there was no video, audio recording, speech, interview, press release, transcript or credible news report showing that he made the alleged comment.

His office specifically challenged Engr. Ibrahim Umar Ammar, identified as one of those circulating the material, to produce the original and unedited recording and provide details of where and when the statement was allegedly made.

Akpabio also demanded that anyone who merely reposted the material should identify its original source and establish the chain through which it was circulated.

His media office described the allegation as a calculated attempt to create fear, resentment and hostility between Northern Nigerians and a national leader from the South.

The Senate President maintained that the allegation was inconsistent with his political relationships and record in office, pointing to his working relationship with Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin of Kano State and other Northern political leaders.

He also cited legislation establishing the North-West Development Commission and the North-Central Development Commission, as well as federal institutions in Kano and Zamfara, as evidence of his administration’s commitment to development across the country.

Akpabio warned that fabricated political statements capable of inflaming ethnic and regional tensions should not be allowed to shape public discourse ahead of the 2027 elections.

He called on those behind the allegation to either provide verifiable evidence or withdraw the claim, apologise publicly and stop what he described as dangerous ethnic propaganda.

The development comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with politicians and political groups increasingly using social media to promote competing narratives.