The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has distanced himself from a viral social media post linking him to comments allegedly mocking United States President Donald Trump over his recent threat of military action in Nigeria, describing the statement as “completely fabricated, malicious, and reckless.”
The clarification was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by Akpabio’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, following a post published by a social media platform known as Rant HQ.
The controversial post had quoted Akpabio as saying, “The killing is taking place in Nigeria, not in USA, Trump should focus on US. Nigerians are not complaining about the killings, we are fully satisfied with the condition of Nigeria.”
The statement, which quickly went viral, drew outrage online and sparked debates amid heightened diplomatic tension following Trump’s remarks accusing Nigeria of widespread Christian persecution.
In his reaction, Akpabio’s media office denied ever issuing such a statement — “not publicly, privately, in writing, or in conversation.”
“... is a total falsehood, a product of mischief, and a desperate attempt to incite misunderstanding between Senator Godswill Akpabio and US President Donald Trump, as well as between Nigeria and its international partners,” Eyiboh said.
He added that the accompanying photograph used by Rant HQ — showing the Senate President at an unrelated official event — was “deceptively deployed to lend false credibility to a fabricated quote that was never uttered by him.”