Senate President Godswill Akpabio has alleged that people criticising President Bola Tinubu and his supporters on social media are being paid, urging youths in Northern Nigeria to intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday when members of the Arewa Revival Project, a northern youth group led by its coordinator, Mustafa Ibrahim, visited him at his office.
The group, whose members are drawn from the 19 northern states, presented an award to the Senate President in recognition of his contributions to nation-building.
While thanking the group for the recognition, Akpabio urged its members to mobilise support for Tinubu at the grassroots, saying Nigerians needed to understand the importance of continuity in government.
He argued that the administration’s policies were intended to stabilise the country and secure a better future for younger generations.
“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,” Akpabio said.
He encouraged the youths to organise meetings and engage other young Nigerians to counter what he described as misinformation and propaganda against the administration.
“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 added.
The Senate President also defended Tinubu’s economic policies, including the tax reforms, arguing that the administration was working to diversify Nigeria’s economy beyond its dependence on crude oil.
He said the reforms and changes to existing laws were part of efforts to address longstanding economic challenges.
“I expect the Nigerian youth to rise above social media propaganda because this President has managed to take us out of a mono-economy — an economy that was dependent only on crude oil,” Akpabio said.
READ ALSO: Akpabio Warns Politicians: No Election Victory Is Worth Nigerian Lives
He added that members of the National Assembly were satisfied with the administration’s performance and had endorsed Tinubu for a second term.
“No President has achieved the level of development that he has done in this country today since independence,” he said, expressing support for the President’s re-election bid.
Akpabio maintained that the administration was confronting difficult national challenges and urged young Nigerians to participate actively in shaping the country’s future.
On insecurity, the Senate President expressed optimism that the proposed establishment of state police would soon become a reality, saying the constitutional amendment process was nearing completion.
According to him, about 30 state Houses of Assembly had endorsed the proposed amendment to establish a decentralised policing system.
“As I speak with you now, for the first time in the history of Nigeria, it may not take us a month before we have a state police system — decentralised policing in the country,” Akpabio said.
He argued that state police would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by enabling a more decentralised response to security threats.
Akpabio also expressed confidence that the country would overcome its current security challenges, encouraging the visiting youths to remain optimistic as they mobilised support for Tinubu.
Earlier, Ibrahim said the Senate President deserved the award because of his contributions to national development and what the group described as the achievements of the National Assembly under his leadership.