Senate President Godswill Akpabio has alleged that people criticising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his supporters on social media are being paid, urging northern youths to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general election.

Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday when members of the Arewa Revival Project, a youth organisation drawn from Nigeria’s 19 northern states, visited him at his office and presented him with an award in recognition of his contributions to nation-building.

The delegation was led by the group’s coordinator, Mustafa Ibrahim.

While thanking the organisation for the recognition, Akpabio urged its members to mobilise support for Tinubu’s re-election and engage young Nigerians at the grassroots to explain what he described as the benefits of continuity in government.

He warned that the group could face difficulties countering online criticism because, according to him, some of those attacking the President and his supporters were financially motivated.

“It is not going to be easy for you because most of those who are attacking the President and attacking these young men on social media are being paid. You are not being paid,” the Senate President said.

Akpabio advised the youths to organise regular meetings and engage Nigerians directly, rather than relying solely on social media to promote the administration’s policies.

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“You may not be able to have the kind of energy and time with them. But once in a while, gather the youth together and let them see the truth and know the truth,” he said.

The Senate President, however, did not provide evidence to substantiate his allegation that people criticising Tinubu online were receiving payments.

Akpabio also defended the President’s economic policies, particularly the tax reforms, arguing that the administration was taking steps to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil and diversify the economy.

He urged young Nigerians to look beyond criticism on social media and assess the government’s policies and initiatives.

The former Akwa Ibom State governor also praised Tinubu’s performance, saying members of the National Assembly had endorsed the President for a second term.

“No President has achieved the level of development that he has done in this country today since independence,” Akpabio said.

His remarks come as political activities gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election, in which Tinubu is expected to seek re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Opposition parties and other critics have continued to question the administration’s economic policies, particularly their effects on the cost of living and household purchasing power.

Akpabio also expressed optimism that Nigeria could soon establish a state police system, claiming that about 30 state Houses of Assembly had endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment.

He said decentralised policing could strengthen the country’s security architecture and improve responses to local security threats.

Earlier, Ibrahim said the group considered Akpabio deserving of the award because of his contributions to national development and the work of the National Assembly under his leadership.

The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and its governorship candidate, Kieghe Nature Dumale, have asked the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt to disqualify the All Progressives Congress (APC) from participating in the February 6, 2027, Rivers State governorship election over alleged violations of electoral laws governing party membership registers and candidate nominations.

The suit, marked FHC/PH/CS/193/2026, names the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the first defendant and the APC as the second defendant.

The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the ruling party is ineligible to field a governorship candidate in Rivers State. They also want the court to direct INEC to remove the APC and its candidate, Kingsley Ogundu Chinda, from the list of parties eligible to contest the election.

In an 18-paragraph affidavit filed in support of the suit, Dumale alleged that the APC failed to comply with relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 when it submitted its membership register and nominated Chinda as its governorship candidate.

The plaintiffs based their argument partly on a September 24, 2026, Supreme Court judgment in an appeal involving INEC and the Zenith Labour Party. They contend that the ruling reaffirmed the validity of Sections 77(5) to 77(7) of the Electoral Act, which deal with political party membership registers and compliance requirements.
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According to the court documents, INEC had indicated that it would study the judgment and take steps to ensure compliance. The plaintiffs, however, accused the commission of failing to apply the relevant provisions consistently before publishing the final list of candidates for the Rivers governorship election.

The affidavit stated that the APC informed INEC on April 20, 2026, that its primaries for the 2027 general election would commence on May 15. The party also submitted its membership register to the electoral commission on the same date.

Dumale alleged that the APC membership register for Ward 3B in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Rivers State, did not contain Chinda’s name when it was submitted to INEC.

According to the plaintiff, the register listed Ibrahim Haruna as the last person to register in the ward on February 8, 2026.

The court documents further alleged that Chinda registered as an APC member on April 27, 2026, after the party had submitted its membership register to INEC.

Chinda subsequently emerged as the APC governorship candidate after winning the party’s primary on May 21, 2026.

The plaintiffs argued that the alleged discrepancy between the membership register submitted to INEC and the documents used to nominate Chinda raised questions about the party’s compliance with the Electoral Act.

They also claimed that Chinda’s name appeared in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership register for Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, which they attached to the court processes as an exhibit.

On the basis of these allegations, the PRP and Dumale are asking the court to declare the APC ineligible to field a candidate in the Rivers governorship election and compel INEC to remove the party and its nominee from the list of eligible contestants.

The suit is being pursued by a legal team led by Dr Doueyi Fiderikumo. As of the latest report, the court had not fixed a hearing date for the matter.

The case comes amid separate legal challenges to Chinda’s candidacy. Another suit before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt questions whether his defection from the PDP to the APC was completed in accordance with the Constitution before he participated in the party’s screening and primary. That separate matter has been scheduled for hearing on November 4, 2026.

The two cases raise distinct legal questions: the PRP suit challenges the APC’s compliance with statutory requirements governing party membership records and nominations, while the other suit focuses on the timing and validity of Chinda’s defection.

Neither suit, by itself, establishes that the APC or its candidate is disqualified. The allegations remain subject to judicial determination, and the court’s eventual decisions will determine the legal consequences for the party’s participation in the 2027 Rivers governorship election.