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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has alleged that people criticising President Bola Tinubu and his supporters on social media are being paid to attack them, urging northern youths to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Akpabio made the allegation on Wednesday when a northern youth group, Arewa Revival Project, led by its coordinator, Mustafa Ibrahim, visited him at his office.
The group, whose members are drawn from the 19 northern states, presented an award to the Senate President in recognition of his contributions to nation-building.
While thanking the group for the recognition, Akpabio urged its members to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election, arguing that Nigerians needed to understand the benefits of continuity in government.
He warned that the group could face a difficult task countering online criticism, alleging that some of those attacking the President and his supporters were being paid.
“It is not going to be easy for you because most of those who are attacking the President and attacking these young men on social media are being paid. You are not being paid,” he said.
Akpabio urged the youths to organise regular meetings and engage Nigerians at the grassroots to counter what he described as propaganda against the administration.
“You may not be able to have the kind of energy and time with them. But once in a while, gather the youth together and let them see the truth and know the truth,” he added.
The former Akwa Ibom State governor defended Tinubu’s economic policies, including the tax reforms, saying the administration was working to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil.
According to him, the President has introduced reforms aimed at diversifying the economy and changing outdated laws.
“I expect the Nigerian youth to rise above social media propaganda because this President has managed to take us out of a mono-economy an economy that was dependent only on crude oil,” Akpabio said.
He also praised the administration’s performance and disclosed that members of the National Assembly had endorsed Tinubu for a second term.
“No President has achieved the level of development that he has done in this country today since independence,” he said, adding that lawmakers were proud to give the President a pass mark.
Akpabio further expressed optimism that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges, saying the proposed establishment of state police could strengthen the country’s security architecture.
He claimed that about 30 state Houses of Assembly had endorsed the constitutional amendment required to introduce state police and predicted that the system could become a reality within a month.
“As I speak with you now, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, it may not take us a month before we have a state police system decentralised policing in the country,” he said.
The Senate President maintained that decentralised policing would improve security and urged the youths to remain confident as they mobilised support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Earlier, Ibrahim said the group honoured Akpabio for his contributions to national development and the achievements of the National Assembly under his leadership.
