Akpabio’s Aide Disowns Circulating Letter, Says Fabricated Document Aimed at Weaponising His Name Against Senate President

Dr. Jibril Lawal Tafida, Special Adviser to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has distanced himself from a damaging document circulating online, which was falsely attributed to him.

The document, presented as a letter to the Office of the President at the Aso Villa and dated November 22, 2025, made various allegations of corruption within the National Assembly and claimed that Tafida had been abandoned by the Senate President following the loss of his mother. The letter has since gone viral on social media platforms.

In a four-paragraph statement issued on November 22, 2025, and titled “DISCLAIMER ON A FABRICATED DOCUMENT CIRCULATING IN MY NAME”, Dr. Tafida declared that he neither wrote, authorised, nor endorsed the document in any capacity.

He described the unsigned letter as a calculated attempt to misuse his name to undermine the Senate’s leadership and stir unnecessary discord. Tafida urged the public, media houses, political figures, online publishers, and digital distributors to ignore, delete, and stop circulating the false publication.

The disclaimer reads in full:
“My attention has been drawn to a lengthy text currently circulating in the media and online platforms, attributed to me and purporting to contain allegations against the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, GCON. I state unequivocally and without ambiguity that I did not write, author, endorse, or authorize the said document in any form.

“The content, tone, structure, and allegations contained therein have the clear intention of sowing discord, smearing reputations, and exploiting my name for political mischief — a cursory glance at the letter will immediately reveal the falsehood as the Senate President is not a member of the Tenders Board of the National Assembly, and therefore has nothing to do with contracts or contract awards in the Senate or NASS. How then can he be accused of corruption in contract awards or contract padding? For further clarity, my short stay here shows that the entire premises of the National Assembly are owned and managed in its entirety by the FCDA through its contractor, Laralex Nigeria Ltd. I reject in its entirety and distance myself completely from the publication.

“I continue to hold the President of the Senate in high esteem, both personally and professionally. Our working relationship has been cordial, respectful, and grounded in cooperation and mutual trust. At no time have I expressed or harboured the sentiments contained in the said document.

“This is a deliberate attempt to weaponise my name in order to malign the leadership of the Senate and create disaffection where none exists. I urge the public, media organisations, political actors, and digital distributors to disregard, delete, retract, and desist from circulating it.

“I reaffirm my loyalty to the Office of the President of the Senate and the Senate as a whole. I remain committed to supporting the work of the National Assembly in the interest of national stability, unity, and democratic progress.”