Senate President Godswill Akpabio has vehemently denied recent reports suggesting plans to unseat him from his role as the presiding officer of the 10th Senate. Describing the reports as “malicious and untrue,” Akpabio emphasized the stability and harmony within the Senate under his leadership.
Akpabio, in response to the claims, stated that the Senate would not be swayed by what he referred to as “innuendo of the merchants of political tar brush” in what seemed to be a coordinated media attack from outside the confines of the National Assembly.
The reports that emerged on Saturday had indicated that efforts were being made to remove Akpabio from his position as Senate President when the Senate reconvenes on September 26, 2023. It was also alleged that two prominent senators from the North West, along with others across the national assembly, were in discussions to execute this move.
Furthermore, the reports implied that these senators were of the belief that Akpabio served as a mere rubber stamp for the presidency, potentially hindering his ability to carry out his duties effectively.
In a statement released by Senator Akpabio’s Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Hon Eseme Eyiboh, the reports were dismissed as “complete imaginations” and sometimes driven by malice, with unclear motives. Eyiboh highlighted that the Senate had moved beyond the contentious leadership election and that the insinuations of a conspiracy involving senators who initially did not support the present leadership were uncharitable and baseless.
Eyiboh stressed that senators were presently concluding their break in their constituencies and elsewhere, following their involvement in inauguration activities and ministerial screenings, and any insinuations of subversive plots against the institution were unwarranted.
He called upon the media to exercise caution and refrain from perpetuating unfounded conspiracy theories that could tarnish the reputation of senators who had unanimously endorsed Senator Akpabio’s leadership. Eyiboh urged the media to maintain the integrity they had built over time and not give in to such conspiratorial narratives.
