Akpabio asks SSS to investigate false claim about him

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has written to the State Security Service (SSS) about a fake statement that claims he made an anti-North comment.

Jackson Udom, Akpabio’s Special Assistant on Media, shared this news in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

A statement that went viral quotes Mr Akpabio as saying Northerners would suffer if President Bola Tinubu loses the 2027 presidential election.

Mr Udom mentioned that the petition, signed by Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, asked the SSS to investigate the spread of what they called a false, inflammatory, and divisive statement.

The graphic with Mr Akpabio’s photo claimed he said, ‘Northerners you will be the ones to suffer the most if you allow Tinubu to lose the election.’

He said, “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.”

Mr Udom stated that the statement seems to have been purposely created to look like a real quote, aiming to mislead the public.

He added that the people behind this scheme wanted to stir up regional anger against Mr Akpabio and make him look threatening to those in the North.

He said that a quick look at public Facebook records found some people as the first to share the fake graphic.

He named Abdullai Musa, who shared the graphic in a Facebook group called ‘Sheik Muhammad bin Uthman Group 24.’

Others include Uzoma Chilaka, who shared the graphic with commentary credited to him, and Ibrahim Ammar, who also shared the graphic and similar comments from a verified Facebook account.

“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 have information about the graphic designer, original uploader, sponsors, intermediaries, and distribution network,” he said.

Mr Udom said their publication records, devices, communications, and the source of the image should be looked into according to the law.