Senate President Godswill Akpabio has petitioned the Department of State Services, DSS, over a statement allegedly attributed to him and circulated on social media.
Akpabio’s Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, made the petition available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
The petition was submitted by Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, on behalf of the Senate President, asking the DSS to investigate what it described as a “manifestly false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive statement”.
The statement, circulated alongside Akpabio’s photograph and official designation, allegedly quoted him as saying: “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 the statement and no evidence has been produced to authenticate it.
“Akpabio 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 petition stated.
The Senate President’s office also said the graphic had no identifiable publisher or verifiable source, raising concerns that it may have been deliberately designed to appear as an authentic statement from Akpabio.
Akubueze said the alleged fake statement was capable of misleading the public, provoking anger against the Senate President and creating the impression that he was threatening people from Northern Nigeria.
The petition identified some Facebook users who allegedly circulated the graphic at an early stage, including Abdullai Musa and Uzoma Chilaka.
It also mentioned a verified Facebook account belonging to Ibrahim Umar Ammar, which allegedly shared the same graphic and related commentary.
However, Akpabio’s office cautioned that the individuals mentioned should not be presumed guilty before an investigation.
It asked the DSS to examine their publication records, devices and communications, as well as trace the origin and distribution network of the material.
The petition comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general election, with social media playing an increasingly prominent role in political campaigns and mobilisation.
