Did Akpabio Threaten Northerners With Suffering if Tinubu Loses? Senate President Speaks Out
- Senate President Godswill Akpabio called a viral quote attributed to him about northerners suffering a 'complete fabrication'
- Akpabio's media team issued a statement challenging the alleged sponsor of the material to produce original video or audio evidence
- The senate president warned that fabricated quotes risked inflaming ethnic tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Senate President Godswill Akpabio has strongly rejected claims that he threatened northerners with suffering if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fails to win the 2027 election, calling the allegation an outright lie.
According to Vanguard, Akpabio’s special adviser on media and publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, issued a statement on his behalf on Wednesday, September 9, titled “Desperate and Dangerous Lie: Produce the Evidence or Withdraw It.”
Source: UGC
Akpabio said there was no video, audio recording, speech, interview, press release, transcript or credible news report to support the claim.
The Nation also reported Akpabio’s denial of the allegation.
Akpabio demands evidence of anti-north remark
The senate president specifically called out a person identified as Engr. Ibrahim Umar Ammar, whom he said is listed on a verified Facebook profile as being associated with the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, as the alleged originator of the material.
Akpabio dismissed a photograph carrying the quoted words as insufficient, saying it amounted to "an allegation wearing typography."
He said:
"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 added that anyone who simply reshared the material should identify who first published it and provide the original source.
Akpabio says record contradicts allegation
The Nigerian No.3 citizen argued that his conduct in office showed no hostility toward the north. He cited his working relationship with Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin of Kano state, the presence of northerners in his office, and legislation he championed establishing the North-West Development Commission and the North-Central Development Commission.
Furthermore, he pointed to federal institutions sited in Kano and Zamfara states, his visit to Borno state following floods in Maiduguri, and the National Assembly's financial support for flood victims as further evidence.
Akpabio said the Senate had also passed laws on student loans, minimum wage, security, education and economic development, which he said served all Nigerians regardless of where they live.
He warned that spreading fabricated statements to stir ethnic divisions ahead of a general election was not legitimate political opposition.
He stated:
"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."
Source: Facebook
Akpabio urged Nigerians to verify the origin of sensitive political content before sharing it, saying repetition and social media reach did not make an allegation true.
He said:
"The North is not an electoral weapon. The South is not an enemy. Ethnicity is not campaign ammunition. And Nigeria's unity must never become collateral damage in anybody's campaign for power."
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Akpabio, Wike, Tajudeen under fire
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), allegedly allocated N10 billion for furniture and rent to the presiding officers of the national assembly.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, and their deputies, Barau Jibrin and Benjamin Kalu, were all beneficiaries of the funds.
The budget item, titled “Renting and Furnishing of Presiding Officers of the National Assembly”, has the classification code 23010309 in the N288 billion supplementary budget President Tinubu transmitted to the national assembly in September 2024.
Source: Legit.ng
