Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has told Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and others pressuring him to step down from his position to rethink, stating that he will not yield to their demands.
Akpabio has faced increasing calls to resign due to allegations of sexual harassment leveled against him by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and another claim linking him to electoral fraud in 2019.
On Thursday, in response to remarks from Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), who urged him and other lawmakers to stay focused on their legislative agenda, Akpabio emphasized that he had no intention of stepping down over baseless allegations. He stressed that he would not allow himself to be a victim of injustice.
Akpabio said, “I will not have answered you, but for the fact that you said those who would have asked you to step down, who told you I was going to step down? You know, if you watch the color of America, there are black people who went to prison for false allegations. Some were there for 25 years. So I’m not one of those people who will step down over false allegations. When it is eventually proven that the allegation is false, they will say, ‘Oh well… I’m not that bad.’”
He added, “So if you had that in mind, please cancel it. I must thank you for the words you spoke today.”
Akpabio also responded to the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru, regarding his comments on the proposed national security summit by the Senate. The Senate President stressed that the Minister must attend the summit in his capacity as Minister.
Akpabio’s comments came after Senate Leader Bamidele reported that Badaru had downplayed the importance of the Senate’s planned two-day security summit, describing it as unnecessary.
Akpabio stated, “If Defence has any issue with any resolution of the Senate, it shouldn’t do so in the market. It should get in touch with the Senate President or Senate Leaders. It should get in touch with us, not speak in the open. It will only lead to an executive-legislative brouhaha. We will address this at the appropriate time.”
During a ministerial briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Badaru insisted that Nigeria’s Armed Forces were better equipped and more sophisticated than the insurgents. He downplayed the summit’s importance, emphasizing that the real challenge lay in the unpredictable tactics used by terrorists, often supported by informants in local communities.
While acknowledging that security summits can offer valuable input, Badaru stated, “Strategy is far more important than a summit. But the summit will give some input for the strategy. When you hold a summit, you gather people, listen to their views, and then design or renew the strategy accordingly.”
Bamidele had earlier defended the Senate’s work, asserting that they were not against criticism, but could not tolerate false accusations. He emphasized that the Senate had been focused on reforms, including the passage of tax reform bills, and would continue to work on electoral and constitutional reforms.
He remarked, “People should not mistake our unintentional decision not to grandstand for being a rubber-stamp parliament. We have worked in overriding public interest, and we are willing to do more. Our focus is on national security, which is why we’re concerned by the Minister of Defence’s dismissal of the proposed summit.”
Bamidele also issued a direct message to the Minister: “When the time comes to hold the national security summit, you should be eager to honor our invitation.”
Finally, Bamidele stressed that the Senate would remain focused on its mandate, undistracted by negative attitudes or politically motivated distractions, and would continue working for the Nigerian people. He reaffirmed, “The Senate is an institution and is bigger than any individual.”
