By Afolayan Sunday
President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has formally petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over a viral social media post which he said falsely attributed a divisive anti-North statement to him.
The petition, signed by Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, Esq., demands an urgent, comprehensive security investigation into what his office terms a coordinated campaign to manufacture regional tension ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The alleged fabricated graphic, widely circulated across Facebook and other digital networks, features a photograph of the Senate President alongside a bold, inflammatory quote claiming: “Northerners, You Will Be The Ones To Suffer The Most, If You Allow Tinubu To Lose The Election.”
Akpabio, however, denied making the statement, saying there was no evidence to authenticate it.
The petition stated: “The President of the Senate 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.”
It further alleged that the graphic had no identifiable publisher’s mark or verifiable source and appeared to have been manufactured and presented as an authentic quotation.
The petition said the alleged publication was capable of misleading the public, provoking regional resentment against Akpabio and portraying him as threatening people in Northern Nigeria.
It identified some persons as among the earliest traceable amplifiers of the graphic on Facebook, including Abdullai Musa, who allegedly posted it in the “Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman group 24,” and Uzoma Chilaka, whose post reportedly reproduced the graphic alongside commentary attributed to him and Engineer Ibrahim Umar Ammar.
The petition also referenced a verified Facebook account belonging to Umar Ammar, which it said subsequently reproduced the graphic and substantially similar commentary.
Akpabio, however, cautioned that the individuals should not be presumed guilty before investigation.
It said their alleged early and substantial roles in circulating the material made them “material persons of interest” who might possess information capable of helping investigators identify the designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries and distribution network behind the graphic.
The petition consequently called for their publication records, devices, communications and the provenance of the image to be investigated in accordance with the law.
