Akpabio Petitions DSS Over Alleged Anti-North Statement

President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over a purported anti-north statement allegedly attributed to him and circulated on Facebook and other digital platforms.

According to a statement by Jackson Udom, Special Assistant to the President of the Senate on Media, the petition was signed by Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze.

In the petition, Akpabio urged the DSS to urgently investigate the creation and alleged coordinated dissemination of what he described as a false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive statement bearing his photograph and official designation.

The statement allegedly attributed to the Senate President reads, “Northerners, you will be the ones to suffer the most, if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.”

Akpabio, however, categorically denied making the statement, insisting that no evidence had been presented to authenticate the alleged quotation.

According to the petition, there was no identifiable date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recording, official statement or credible news report linking the Senate President to the purported remarks.

The petition further alleged that the graphic carried no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source and appeared to have been deliberately manufactured to deceive the public, provoke regional resentment and portray Akpabio as hostile towards Northern Nigerians.

The petition said a preliminary examination of publicly accessible Facebook records had identified some individuals as among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the alleged fabricated graphic.

It listed Abdullai Musa, who allegedly posted the graphic in a Facebook group identified as “Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24,” and Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic alongside commentary attributed to Boniface Uzoma Chilaka and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar.

The petition also named Ibrahim Umar Ammar, whose Facebook account allegedly subsequently reproduced the graphic and substantially similar commentary.

Akpabio stressed, however, that the individuals named in the petition should not be presumed guilty before investigation.

He said their alleged early and substantial roles in circulating the material made them persons of interest who could possess information capable of helping investigators establish the origin, sponsors and distribution network behind the graphic.

The Senate President therefore urged the DSS to investigate the publication records, devices, communications and provenance of the image in accordance with the law.

The petition called for an investigation to identify the designer of the graphic, its original uploader, possible sponsors, intermediaries and the network through which it was allegedly distributed.

It also urged the security agency to establish whether the circulation was coordinated and whether those involved knowingly presented the purported statement as an authentic quotation from the Senate President.

Akpabio’s petition comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections and growing concerns over the circulation of misinformation, inflammatory political materials and content capable of aggravating ethnic and regional tensions.

The Senate President maintained that he did not make the alleged statement and called for the authorities to establish the facts surrounding its creation and dissemination.