Senate President Akpabio Refutes Claims on New States Creation, Warns About Social Media’s Impact on Africa

Senator Godswill Akpabio, the President of the Nigerian Senate, has firmly denied the circulating claims that the Senate has approved the formation of 12 additional states across Nigeria.

Addressing the issue, Akpabio expressed deep concerns about the growing misuse of social media across the continent, cautioning that such trends could potentially lead to societal destruction if left unchecked.

In recent days, various social media platforms were flooded with reports suggesting that the Nigerian Senate had reached a consensus on the creation of 12 new states. The news ignited heated debates among citizens, sparking both support and criticism across different communities and political lines.

However, Senator Abdul Ningi took to the Senate floor on Monday to categorically debunk the reports. He clarified that the Senate Committee on Constitutional Review had not made any such recommendations. According to him, the widespread news was not only false but also highly misleading and harmful.

Senator Ningi stated:

“I serve as a member of the Constitution Review Committee. Let me make it clear that our zonal reports have not even been submitted to the central committee handling the main review. Therefore, the viral social media claims that the National Assembly has finalized or even proposed the creation of 12 new states are entirely fake, dangerous, and utterly irresponsible.”

He further emphasized that:

“There has been no plenary discussion or deliberation on any zonal committee report. The main constitutional review committee has not received or considered any such proposal yet.”

Following up on this clarification, Senate President Akpabio voiced his disappointment over how easily false information spreads via social media. He used the opportunity to address broader concerns about the platform’s influence on governance and society.

“My concern is that the misuse of social media by Africans may end up tearing our societies apart,” Akpabio warned. “It has gotten to the point where people fabricate fake government documents, such as appointment letters, just to mislead the public or cause confusion—claiming, for example, that someone declined a political appointment when that’s entirely untrue.”

Akpabio’s remarks underline growing anxieties among public officials about the disruptive power of misinformation, particularly when amplified through digital platforms that lack robust fact-checking measures.