Akpabionomics: Senate President tightens grip on NASS with new strategies

By Haruna Salami

A few months ago, precisely when the National Assembly legislators went on their annual recess, there was impeachment scare in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The keenly contested Senate presidency between the incumbent Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and Abdulaziz Yari, both of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) polarised the upper chamber.

Akpabio, who had the backing of his party and the president scored 63 votes to defeat Yari who polled 46 votes.

The election of principal officers of the Senate on June 13, 2023 may have come and gone, however, the seed of discord was sown.

The threat of impeachment was so strong during the last annual recess of the National Assembly that Hon. Eseme Eyibo, Special Adviser to the Senate President vehemently tried to debunk it as the “innuendo of the merchants of political tar brush by what appears to be a syndicated media attack from outside the precinct of the National Assembly”.

However, it is instructive how Akpabio has weathers the storm of steering the affairs of the Senate and by implication, the National Assembly as Senate President and Chairman of the National Assembly.

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After the initial teething problems of presiding at plenary, which saw some ranking senators, especially those who have been in the National Assembly from 1999 when the current republic began to date trying to correct some of his lapses, Akpabio has learnt the art very fast and become the master of the game.

To consolidate his exalted position, Akpabio uses the carrot and stick approach. Those who supported him and were at the forefront of his campaign to be Senate President like Senator Ali Ndume, Dave Umahi, Opeyemi Bamidele were handsomely rewarded.

Opeyemi Bamidele is Senate Leader, Umahi (now Minister of Works);became Deputy Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, Senate Chief Whip, while those on the side of his opponent, Senator Abdulaziz Yari were marked men for punishment.

Akpabio and his APC also influenced the leadership of the minority parties in the Senate such as Minority Leader, Deputy Minority Leader, Minority Whip and Deputy Minority Whip favoured less known politicians. Senators with wealth of experience in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) like Aminu Tambuwal who was a former Speaker and former governor, Adamu Aliero, former governor, former Minister of the FCT, Abdul Ningi, a ranking and very articulate senator were schemed out of minority leadership.

The Senate President also used the composition of Senate standing committees to reward his loyal supporters with chairmanship of juicy committees. For example, Solomon Olamilekan (Ogun West), chairman of Appropriations Committee, Sani Musa (Niger East), Finance Committee, Isah Jibrin (Kogi East), Customs, etc.

Although Akpabio has vehemently denied any link with the sacking of some senators by the Court of Appeal, Elisha Abbo the former senator representing Adamawa North blamed the Senate President for his sacking.

Abbo who was the deputy director general of Yari campaign for Senate presidency was always at logger head with Akpabio until his eventual sack by the Court of Appeal.

Other senators sacked by the court include Simon Mwadkwon (PDP Plateau) who was Minority Leader, Napoleon Bali (PDP Plateau, Darlington Nwaokocha (LP Abia Central) and Abubakar Ohere (APC Kogi Central).

Of all the consolidation and survival strategies adopted by Akpabio, the amendment of Senate Standing Rules to bar first timers from running for Senate President and Deputy Senate President is the most controversial. The ban affects even members who cross over from the House of Representatives, who hitherto were also regarded as ranking senators.

The implication of the new rule is that people like Senator Aminu Tambuwal, Abdulaziz Yari who were Speaker and member of the House of Representatives respectively, will no longer be accorded the status of ranking senators.

This particular amendment to Senate Standing Rules has the potential of backfiring as those adversely affected are not lying low and incidentally they are clearly in the majority because of the high rate of turnover in the last National Assembly election. Should they decide to fight back, the outcome will not be palatable for the current leadership of the Senate.