The Convener of the Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu, has defended Senate President Godswill Akpabio against a purported anti-Northern statement circulating on social media, calling the claim fabricated and politically motivated.
Yakubu said the alleged statement could inflame ethnic sentiments and create unnecessary tension between the North and other parts of the country, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
His reaction followed a petition reportedly submitted by Akpabio’s Chief of Staff, Chinedu Akubueze, to the Department of State Services (DSS), seeking an investigation into a social media graphic attributed to the Senate President.
The graphic purportedly quoted Akpabio as saying: ‘Northerners, You Will Be the Ones to suffer the most if you allow Tinubu to lose the Election.’
Akpabio’s office has denied that he made the statement, describing the graphic as ‘manifestly false, inflammatory and dangerously divisive.’
Reacting to the development, Yakubu urged Nigerians, particularly those in the North, not to allow unverified social media materials to create distrust between regions and political leaders.
‘This is precisely the kind of dangerous misinformation that Nigerians must reject. Senator Godswill Akpabio has consistently operated within the constitutional framework of his office, and there is no justification for attributing statements to him that he did not make,’ Yakubu said.
The Arewa Think Tank convener called on security agencies to investigate the origin of the graphic, identify those behind its production, and establish whether its circulation was part of a coordinated campaign.
He said the matter should not be dismissed as an ordinary political disagreement, noting that fabricated statements that could provoke ethnic sentiments could have serious consequences in an already politically charged environment.
‘When you fabricate a statement and attach it to the President of the Senate, particularly one directed at Northerners, you are not simply attacking an individual. You are attempting to create suspicion between millions of Nigerians and deepen existing political and regional tensions,’ Yakubu stated.
He also welcomed the caution reportedly contained in Akpabio’s petition that individuals identified as early disseminators of the material should not be presumed guilty before an investigation is concluded.
According to him, investigators should follow the evidence and establish how the alleged graphic was created, who first circulated it, and the extent of the network involved in its distribution.
‘We support a proper investigation, not a witch-hunt. Anyone identified during the preliminary tracing should be treated as a person of interest until the facts are established. The real questions are: who created the graphic, who first published it, who financed or coordinated its distribution, and what was the motive?’ he asked.
Yakubu urged political actors and their supporters to allow the relevant authorities to conduct a professional and impartial investigation.
He also cautioned Northerners against being manipulated by unverified political content circulating online.
‘The North must not become a playground for political misinformation. We must learn to verify information before reacting to it. Nobody should allow a fabricated Facebook graphic to determine how he sees another Nigerian or another region,’ Yakubu said.
He noted that the approach of the 2027 elections would likely lead to increased political mobilisation on social media, making responsible communication and fact-checking more important.
He urged social media users to exercise restraint when sharing political materials, particularly those containing claims that could provoke ethnic, religious, or regional sentiments.
‘Politics should be about ideas, policies, leadership and development. It should not be reduced to manufacturing quotations and putting them in the mouths of political leaders in order to provoke Nigerians against one another,’ he said.
The Arewa Think Tank convener further argued that claims portraying Akpabio as hostile to the North should be tested against verifiable evidence, not speculation.
‘If Senator Akpabio made such a statement, let the video, audio recording, transcript, venue and date be produced. But if no credible evidence exists, Nigerians should reject the material for what it appears to be, an unverified claim that requires proper investigation,’ Yakubu said.
He maintained that Nigeria’s unity should take precedence over partisan political interests and urged political leaders across the country to discourage their supporters from circulating materials that could aggravate regional tensions.
‘We cannot build a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria by weaponising ethnicity. The North, South, East and West are all stakeholders in Nigeria. Anyone who deliberately manufactures falsehood to set one region against another is doing a disservice to the country,’ he added.
Yakubu therefore called on the DSS and other relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the alleged fake statement and make their findings public.
He said transparency in the investigation would help dispel speculation and prevent the issue from being exploited for further political or ethnic mobilisation.
The convener also appealed to Nigerians to remain calm and verify politically sensitive information through credible sources before sharing it online.