President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday petitioned the Department of State Services, DSS, over a purported anti-Northern statement attributed to him and circulated on Facebook and other digital platforms.
The petition, filed on Akpabio’s behalf by his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, asks the DSS to investigate the origin and circulation of a graphic carrying Akpabio’s photograph and designation alongside a statement warning Northerners that they would “suffer the most” if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 election.
In the petition, Akubueze described the statement as “manifestly false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive,” insisting that Akpabio did not make the statement attributed to him.
“Akpabio did not make this statement. No date, venue, speech, interview, video, audio recording, official statement or credible news report has been produced to authenticate it,” the petition stated.
It added that the graphic had no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source and alleged that it appeared to have been deliberately manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation.
Akubueze said the alleged fabrication was intended to deceive the public, provoke regional resentment against Akpabio and portray him as threatening the people of Northern Nigeria.
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He said a preliminary examination of publicly accessible Facebook records identified some of the earliest traceable accounts that amplified the graphic.
The petition named Abdullai Musa, who allegedly posted the graphic in a Facebook group called “Sheikh Muhammad bin Uthman group 24”, and Uzoma Chilaka, whose Facebook post allegedly reproduced the graphic alongside commentary credited to Boniface Uzoma Chilaka and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar.
It also listed a verified Facebook account belonging to Ibrahim Umar Ammar as having subsequently reproduced the graphic and similar commentary.
However, Akpabio’s office cautioned against presuming the identified individuals guilty, describing them as persons of interest whose activities could assist investigators in tracing the origin and distribution of the alleged fake statement.
“These persons should not be presumed guilty before investigation. Nevertheless, their early and substantial roles in circulating the material make them material persons of interest, who may possess information capable of identifying the graphics designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and the network through which it was distributed,” the petition stated.
It urged the DSS to investigate the publication records, devices, communications and provenance of the image in accordance with the law.
The petition comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, with politicians and political parties increasingly using social media platforms to mobilize supporters and campaign for public support.
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