Opposition politicians scheming to remove me-Akpabio
BY PATRICK WEMAMBU
Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio, has hinted that some politicians from Adamawa and Kwara states who belong to opposition parties are scheming assiduosly to have him removed from office.
He made the remarks while receiving a delegation of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum in Abuja over the weekend.
Although he did not mention names, the reference alluded to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and former senate president, Abubakar Bukola Saraki who are respectively from Adamawa and Kwara, and had only recently issued statements calling on the senate president to step aside regarding the case involving him and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.
Despite their knowledge of Senate rules regarding unethical conducts, Akpabio lamented that the individuals in question are intentionally overlooking the real issues due to opposition politics.
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“So when people gang up and conspire, I hear voices from Adamawa shouting, I hear voices from Kwara State shouting, I hear some young people from the southwest being used for something they don’t know, they don’t know the rules of the Senate, you cant be a herbalist and start quoting the Bible, you won’t know what to quote,” he lamented.
Emphasising that people should understand that as senate president, he is not solely representing his constituency and party – but also an entire region that has not held that office for the past 46 years – the presiding officer requested those unduly criticising him to back off.
“The first time the Niger Delta had a senate president… was 46 years ago. Whatever the opposition may do, we will not treat that office lightly,” Akpabio remarked, adding that the senate president represents not just himself but the entire people of the Niger Delta.
Addressing the seating arrangement issue involving Natasha Akpoti-Oduaghan (Kogi Central) which led to allegations of sexual harassment, the Senate President stressed that people were merely shouting without understanding the standing rules and the actual issues at hand.
His words; “You must read the Bible before you can quote it accurately. However, those who are unfamiliar with the inner workings of the National Assembly may not comprehend what led to her (Natasha’s) suspension.
“The ‘red book’ of the senate contains the standing orders and our rules. When you enter the senate, it is provided for you. In the House of Representatives, they will give you a ‘green book.’ People seem more interested in speaking and generating content than in addressing the real issues.”
Expatiating, he said; “When you enter a place, you must conform to its standards. As you mentioned, the senate is like one family, and we have our internal mechanisms. The senate upholds the rule of law. If individuals take any issue to court, they can no longer bring it to the senate. We do not interfere with legal processes because we are responsible for making the laws.
“If the process has already commenced in the senate, you cannot rush to court to halt it through a court order. The legislature is distinct from the judiciary and the executive.”
Defending the six-months suspension imposed on Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Akpabio contended that it was a unanimous decision of the whole house without a single member opposing it.
“We are a respected institution and will maintain our integrity. You cannot raise issues of privilege from another person’s seat. We must be cautious about the individuals we send to the National Assembly.
“Where your fathers, former governors, ministers and past senate presidents have worked diligently to be present, you should understand that this is an important place. It is an elite club worldwide.
“The senate is a family. We will do everything possible to treat it as a family affair. I assure you, youth leaders, we shall resolve these issues,” he promised.
To those he designated arm chair critics, the President of the Senate urged them to desist from running uninformed commentaries about the parliament.
Wondering why people who have no idea of the rules of procedure in a parliament were always the ones to run uninformed commentaries on Television on matters they know nothing about, Akpabio said;
“You should try to go and know the fact before you start running commentaries on television. So we will advise members of the public to desist from running commentaries on things that they do not know, misquoting the rules of the senate.
“But you see people who are not well informed, sitting down just like they do, like football commentators and then they will say Ronaldo should have come from the left to score and that if you were Messi, you would have kicked from the centre. Then you do commentaries on the Television.
“But when people are not well informed about the procedures and begin to debate about the provisions they don’t know, sometimes it worries me.”
Regarding the coastal highway, Akpabio said; “Mr President has asked the Minister of Works to commence work in the Niger Delta, and the minister has assured us that the road will connect the South-South and South-East.
“However, I want you to understand that development anywhere is development everywhere.
“I assure you that the Itakpe rail issue resonates with me. I will convey your message to the president and will also meet with the minister to ensure that the rail line reaches Abuja.
“For me, we must adopt a holistic approach to development, and our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is making commendable progress,” Akpabio stated.
On the crisis in Rivers State, Akpabio indicated that leaders would intervene, likening the situation to children playing, who might say, ‘leave me, I am injured.’
“I want to assure you that I, along with Senator Adams Oshiomhole and other senators from the Niger Delta, will ensure that we address this matter because peace in Rivers State is synonymous with peace in the Niger Delta.
“You have given us hope that the future is bright. We are going to have capable successors. My colleagues and I will support President Bola Tinubu in his endeavours,” Akpabio affirmed.
Earlier, Jonathan Lokpobiri, President of Ijaw Youth Council, who led the delegation had expressed concern about developments at the Senate and assured Akpabio that the people of the Niger Delta were fully behind him.
Lokpobiri also sought the intervention of the Senate President on the looming crisis in Rivers State warning that it could snowball into the entire Niger Delta if not nipped in the bud.
He told Akpabio; “As the leader of the National Assembly, that office is a source of pride for the people of the Niger Delta.
“We are in a precarious situation, and we appeal to you to intervene because it is no longer merely an issue of Wike and Fubara, but a threat to the Niger Delta.”
Responding, Akpabio told the delegation that, he and other senators from the Niger Delta would take up their request on the Rivers State crisis and see how they could bring peace to Rivers State particularly, and any other sub national needing similar intervention.
The visitors were assured that their request regarding the Coastal Road project had already been addressed by the President but further guaranteed that all other concerns which they had raised would be addressed.
Concerning the situation involving Natasha, the youth leader expressed their worry, even though the matter should ideally be treated as a family issue.
“Regardless of the embarrassment, show your fatherly love and manage it. No matter the circumstances, you are one of our best. We urge those who thrive on conflict in the country to recognise the value attached to that office; any attempt to undermine you will not be tolerated.
“We are here to assure you, in the eyes of the world, that we stand behind you. Some of the issues we are concerned about include the establishment of the University of Maritime in Oron by NASS in 2022, which has yet to commence operations.
“Nigeria needs to provide an explanation to the people of the Niger Delta regarding what has transpired, and we want that university to become operational.
“Once the Niger Delta is open for business, insecurity will diminish,” the youth leader upheld.
