The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has rejected a widely circulated claim that he warned Northerners they would suffer if President Bola Tinubu failed to win the 2027 presidential election.
Akpabio described the alleged statement as completely fabricated and challenged those circulating it to produce evidence showing that he made such a remark.
The Senate President’s position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, under the title, “Desperate and Dangerous Lie: Produce the Evidence or Withdraw It.”
The controversy comes as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections intensify, with statements attributed to political figures increasingly spreading across social media.
According to the Senate President, there is no authentic record of him making the statement attributed to him.
He said those behind the allegation should produce an original and unedited recording, identify where and when the statement was supposedly made, and provide the circumstances surrounding it.
“Produce the original and unedited video or audio recording showing precisely where, when and before whom Senator Akpabio made the alleged statement. Name the occasion. Give the date and venue. Provide the complete recording, not a conveniently edited fragment,” he said.
Akpabio also demanded that individuals who merely reposted the claim identify the original source and provide the publication from which the alleged quotation originated.
He argued that a photograph carrying words attributed to him could not, by itself, establish that he actually made the statement.
Describing the material as “an allegation wearing typography,” the Senate President said claims of such magnitude should not be accepted simply because they have been repeatedly shared online.
Akpabio said the 2027 political contest should not become an avenue for spreading claims capable of creating tension between Nigerians from different regions.
While acknowledging the right of political opponents to criticise the government and its officials, he warned against what he described as deliberate attempts to exploit ethnic sentiments for political purposes.
According to him, elections should be contested through arguments about policies, records, achievements, failures and competing visions for Nigeria.
“This is not legitimate political opposition. It is calculated incitement designed to manufacture fear, resentment and hostility between Northern Nigerians and a national leader from the South,” he said.
The Senate President further argued that his political career and dealings with Northern politicians did not support the allegation that he was hostile towards the region.
Akpabio pointed to his working relationship with Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin of Kano State, as well as the presence of several Northerners in his office, as examples of cooperation across regional lines.
He also cited legislation establishing the North-West Development Commission and the North-Central Development Commission among initiatives he said demonstrated his commitment to development across Nigeria.
The Senate President mentioned federal institutions established in Kano and Zamfara States as further examples of what he described as efforts to promote development beyond regional boundaries.
He also recalled his visit to Borno State following devastating floods in Maiduguri and the intervention by the National Assembly to support victims of the disaster.
Beyond these interventions, Akpabio pointed to Senate-backed legislation covering areas such as student loans, minimum wage, security, education and economic development.
He maintained that the measures were intended to benefit Nigerians irrespective of their geographical or ethnic backgrounds.
Akpabio urged Nigerians to be more careful when encountering politically sensitive claims online, particularly as the country moves closer to the 2027 elections.
He said social media engagement should not be mistaken for proof that a statement is genuine.
“A quotation of this gravity cannot be authenticated by repetition, likes, shares or the number of Facebook accounts carrying it,” he said.
The Senate President maintained that political disagreements were inevitable in a democracy but insisted that they should be handled through legitimate political debate rather than the circulation of statements capable of inflaming ethnic divisions.
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