The Office of the Senate Leader has dismissed a report circulating on the X platform (formerly Twitter) by Jackson Ude alleging an altercation and fisticuff between the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele.
In a statement by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, the Senate Leader’s media office categorically denied the incident, describing it as a fabrication by a known purveyor of falsehood.
The alleged incident between Akpabio and Bamidele sparked widespread attention on Tuesday.
According to the information on social media, the two were involved in a physical altercation, grabbing each other by the neck and exchanging blows.
The confrontation was said to have been stopped by former Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, who intervened before the situation escalates further.
The altercation was believed to reflect growing tensions within the Senate, with accusations of poor leadership by Akpabio. Bamidele’s frustration reportedly stemmed from Akpabio’s appointment of a northerner to the position of Senate Committee Chairman for Petroleum, Upstream.
This, the report said, had allegedly caused dissatisfaction among the South-west caucus.
Bamidele, it was alleged, had voiced concerns that Akpabio was sidelining the South West while rewarding his allies with influential positions.
The statement, which condemned Ude’s actions, accusing him of abandoning journalistic ethics to spread baseless rumours designed to sow discord within the Senate and destabilise the political system, urged the public to disregard the misinformation and treat it with the disdain it deserves.
