Senate Denies Akpabio’s “North Must Vote for Tinubu or Be Expelled” Threat

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio

Senate Denies Akpabio’s “North Must Vote for Tinubu or Be Expelled” Threat

Abuja, Nigeria – The Office of the President of the Senate has firmly dismissed as “completely false” and “malicious” the viral claims that Senate President Godswill Akpabio threatened northerners over the 2027 presidential election, allegedly warning that the North must vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or risk being expelled from Nigeria. The denial comes amid rising political tension ahead of the next general election cycle, with the Senate President’s office accusing an individual of deliberately fabricating the story to stir ethnic division.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, Jibril Tafida (also referred to as Jibril Lawal Tafida in some reports), the Senate President categorically denied ever making such inflammatory remarks. “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 statement read in part. According to the statement, the viral content was part of a wider attempt to drag the Senate President’s name into political controversy and stir ethnic division across the country. The office warned that the increasing spread of misinformation and inflammatory political content could threaten national unity if left unchecked, especially as political activities intensify ahead of 2027.

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The Senate President’s office specifically identified and called for the immediate arrest of Garus Gololo, the individual featured in the circulating video. The office challenged Gololo to provide concrete evidence supporting his allegations and described his conduct as part of a recurring pattern of attacking President Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for political reasons. “We therefore call on the security agencies in Nigeria to arrest Garus Gololo immediately and compel him to provide evidence of where and when the President of the Senate made such a statement,” the statement added. The office also condemned what it described as repeated insults and disrespectful comments directed at Akpabio and other public officials, describing such conduct as “gutter language” that undermines respect for public office and democratic institutions. The office further accused Gololo of consistently attacking President Tinubu and the APC to satisfy what it called “paymasters in the name of opposition politics.” “Garus Gololo has developed a pattern of insulting President Bola Tinubu and the APC in order to satisfy his paymasters in the name of opposition politics. This must stop,” the statement said.

The Senate President’s office urged Nigerians, particularly stakeholders in the northern region, to disregard the allegation and avoid statements capable of creating ethnic or political tension across the country. The office reaffirmed its commitment to responsible communication and cautioned against the spread of unverified political claims on social media, noting that the allegation has no basis in fact and urging the public to dismiss it entirely.

The denial comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections. Senate President Akpabio has previously made statements regarding the upcoming polls. In April 2026, he alleged that opposition elements were sponsoring bombings and insecurity across parts of the country to distract President Bola Tinubu and weaken his administration ahead of the 2027 elections. Speaking at the inauguration of the Nigeria Revenue Service headquarters in Abuja, Akpabio said, “You’re seeing insecurity today, and it’s even increasing because the election is coming. As soon as election is over, for the first two weeks you will not hear a single bomb blast because people are sponsoring it to distract you.” Those remarks were widely criticized by editorial boards and commentators, with some describing them as “scandalous,” “deeply insensitive,” and “patently reckless” given the daily toll of insecurity on Nigerian citizens. Meanwhile, the APC has consistently dismissed rumors of northern conspiracy against President Tinubu’s re-election bid. In July 2025, APC National Secretary Ajibola Bashiru described such claims as “a lie from the pit of hell,” insisting that northern support for Tinubu remains unwavering. The current denial from Akpabio’s office appears aimed at quelling the latest controversy before it escalates further into ethnic and political divisions as the 2027 election cycle approaches.