Senate President Petitions DSS Over Fabricated Anti-North Remark

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has formally petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over a fabricated statement circulating online, which falsely claims he threatened that Northerners would face consequences should President Bola Tinubu lose the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Jackson Udom, Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Udom, the petition — signed by Akpabio's Chief of Staff, Mr Chinedu Akubueze — urged the DSS to urgently investigate the circulation of what it described as a false, inflammatory and divisive statement. He explained that the viral graphic, which bore Akpabio's photograph and official designation, attributed the following words to him: "Northerners you will be the ones to suffer the most if you allow Tinubu to lose the election."

"Unequivocally, the President of the Senate did not make this statement. No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recordings, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it. The graphic carries no identifiable publisher's mark or verifiable source," Udom said.

He said the statement appears to have been deliberately fabricated and presented as an authentic quotation in a bid to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, adding that those responsible sought to provoke regional resentment against Akpabio by falsely portraying him as threatening Northerners.

According to Udom, a preliminary review of publicly accessible Facebook records identified several individuals among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the fabricated graphic. He named Abdullai Musa, who reportedly posted the graphic within a Facebook group called "Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24"; Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic and accompanying commentary under his own name; and Mr Ibrahim Ammar, a verified Facebook account holder who also reproduced the graphic and similar commentary.

"These persons should not be presumed guilty before investigation. Nevertheless, their early and substantial roles in circulating the material make them persons of interest, who may possess information capable of identifying the graphic designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network," Udom said.

He added that the publication records, devices, and communications of the identified individuals, along with the origin of the image, should be investigated in accordance with the law.