* Group petitions IGP, demands probe of alleged defamatory remarks against Akpabio
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Presidency of the Senate on Saturday denied allegations contained in a viral video claiming that the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, threatened northerners to support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election or leave the country, describing the claim as false, malicious and capable of causing unnecessary tension.
The Senate Presidency also called on security agencies to investigate the origin of the allegation and compel those behind the video to provide evidence to substantiate the claim.
The denial was contained in a statement issued in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President of the Senate on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Malam Jibril Lawal Tafida, who said the allegation being circulated in the video did not emanate from the Senate President at any time.
According to the statement, the viral clip featured one Garus Gololo alleging that the Senate President had declared that northerners must vote for Tinubu in 2027 or be forced to leave Nigeria.
Tafida, however, dismissed the allegation in strong terms.
“Our attention has been drawn to a video clip circulating in the media, wherein one Garus Gololo made allegations against the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the statement said.
“In the said video, Gololo accused the President of the Senate of stating that northerners must vote for President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general election or be forced to leave Nigeria.
“We wish to state clearly and unequivocally that the President of the Senate never made such a statement.
“This claim is completely false, malicious and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and create unnecessary tension.”
The Senate Presidency said the allegation was serious enough to warrant investigation by relevant security agencies, insisting that the public deserved to know the source of the claim and the motive behind it.
“We therefore call on the security agencies in Nigeria to investigate the matter and compel the individual involved to provide evidence of where and when the President of the Senate allegedly made such a statement.
“The public deserves to know the source of these allegations,” the statement added.
The Senate President’s office also cautioned against inflammatory political rhetoric and the spread of unverified information capable of heightening political and ethnic tensions in the country ahead of the 2027 elections.
It stressed that political disagreements should be pursued within the boundaries of responsible public engagement and respect for public institutions.
“Such behaviour is not in line with the culture of responsible public engagement and should be discouraged,” the statement said.
The Senate Presidency further appealed to Nigerians to embrace responsible political discourse in the interest of national unity and stability.
“We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to condemn the spread of false information and embrace responsible political discourse in the interest of national unity and stability,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Northern Democratic Front has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), seeking the arrest and investigation of Gololo over what it described as false accusations and defamatory remarks against the Senate President.
In a petition addressed to the IGP at the Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House, Abuja, the group accused Gololo of circulating false and inciting claims capable of undermining public peace.
The petition, jointly signed by the National President of the group, Mr. Musa Abba, and its National Secretary, Mr Bitrus Yohana, maintained that the Senate President never made the statement attributed to him in the viral video.
According to the group, the allegation was not only false but also capable of creating ethnic and political tension across the country.
“This act constitutes the deliberate spread of false information capable of inciting public disorder and breaching the peace,” the petition stated.
The group also condemned what it described as vulgar and offensive remarks allegedly directed at the Senate President in the video, saying such conduct was disrespectful to the office of the nation’s number three citizen.
The Northern Democratic Front further urged the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the source of the allegation and prosecute anyone found culpable for criminal defamation, spreading false information and conduct likely to disturb public peace.
It expressed confidence that the police authorities would treat the matter with the urgency it deserved in order to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
Copies of the petition were also forwarded to the President of the Senate, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Director General of the Department of State Services and the Commissioner of Police, Abuja Command.
