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Senate President Godswill Akpabio has denied making a statement threatening Northerners if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 election, describing the viral claim as false and seeking an investigation by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Akpabio’s position was contained in a petition submitted to the DSS by his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, over a statement attributed to the Senate President and circulated across Facebook and other digital platforms.
The disputed statement appeared on a graphic bearing Akpabio’s photograph and official designation, with the purported quote: “Northerners, You Will Be The Ones To Suffer The Most, If You Allow Tinubu To Lose The Election.”
According to the petition, Akpabio “did not make this statement”, adding that there was no identifiable date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recording or official statement supporting the claim.
The petition also noted that the graphic did not identify any publisher or credible source, suggesting that it may have been deliberately created and circulated to mislead members of the public.
Akubueze said the alleged publication was capable of inflaming regional sentiments and creating the impression that Akpabio had issued a threat against people from Northern Nigeria.
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The petition requested an urgent investigation into the origin and circulation of the graphic, including the persons and networks responsible for creating, publishing and amplifying it.
It identified preliminary Facebook records linking the circulation of the graphic to accounts including “Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman group 24” and Uzoma Chilaka.
The petition also referenced a Facebook post by Chilaka, which reportedly credited the material to Boniface Uzoma Chilaka and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar. It further stated that a verified Facebook account belonging to Ammar had reproduced the graphic alongside similar commentary.
However, Akpabio’s team stressed that the identification of the accounts did not amount to a declaration of guilt, describing the individuals instead as persons of interest who could assist investigators in tracing the source of the material.
The DSS was urged to examine relevant publication records, devices, communications and other evidence that could establish the provenance of the disputed statement and identify its creators, sponsors or intermediaries.
Akpabio’s petition comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general election, with his office warning against the circulation of fabricated statements capable of deepening regional divisions.
