President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, GCON, remains firmly committed to the unity, peace and collective progress of Nigeria and will continue to resist attempts to introduce ethnic division into the nation’s political discourse.
Recent attempts to attribute inflammatory statements concerning Northern Nigeria to the Senate President are false, misleading and entirely inconsistent with his public record, political relationships and longstanding commitment to national cohesion.
At no time did Senator Akpabio state that Northerners would suffer if they failed to vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. No authentic video, audio recording, official transcript or verifiable account of any event has been produced to substantiate such an attribution.
Public discourse, particularly at a time when Nigerians are looking to their leaders and institutions for stability, must be guided by truth and responsibility. The deliberate fabrication or circulation of statements capable of creating distrust among regions, ethnic groups or religious communities does a grave disservice to the nation.
Throughout his political career, Senator Akpabio has built relationships that transcend regional, ethnic and religious boundaries. His emergence as President of the Senate was supported by senators from different parts of the country, including Northern Nigeria, reflecting the broad national relationships that have characterised his public service.
That commitment has continued under his leadership of the 10th Senate. The National Assembly has worked with the Executive and lawmakers across the federation to advance legislation, interventions, institutions and development initiatives designed to improve the lives of Nigerians irrespective of geography.
Senator Akpabio has also maintained longstanding personal and political relationships across Northern Nigeria and has consistently demonstrated solidarity with communities affected by insecurity, natural disasters and other humanitarian challenges.
His position remains clear: Nigeria’s diversity must be a source of strength, not an instrument for political manipulation.
Political disagreement is legitimate in a democracy. Criticism of public officials is equally legitimate. But deliberately manufacturing inflammatory statements and attributing them to public figures crosses the boundaries of responsible democratic engagement, particularly where such misinformation is capable of provoking ethnic resentment or threatening national cohesion.
Nigeria’s history, as well as the experiences of other nations, demonstrates the danger of allowing misinformation, inflammatory rhetoric and ethnic suspicion to become normal instruments of political competition.
The President of the Senate therefore urges Nigerians, political actors, media organisations and users of digital platforms to verify inflammatory claims before circulating them and to reject attempts to exploit regional or ethnic differences for political advantage.
Where deliberate fabrication or coordinated dissemination of dangerous misinformation is established, the appropriate institutions should investigate such conduct in accordance with the law and established due process.
Senator Godswill Akpabio remains focused on his constitutional responsibilities as President of the Senate and on working with colleagues across party and regional lines to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy, advance national development and support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in delivering greater security, prosperity and opportunity for Nigerians.
Nigeria belongs to all of us. Our politics must never be allowed to become stronger than the bonds that hold our nation together.
