The senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District in Adamawa State at the Nigerian 9th National Assembly, Sen Ishaku Abbo has called on the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio to call his camp to order as the seed of discord and deep ethno – religious division they are sowing will not augur well for the country.
Sen. Abbo who is currently a member of All Progressives Congress, APC said “I woke up today to see over 10 mainstream Nigerian newspapers, all carrying news of a plan to impeach Senator Akpabio by senators from Nothern Nigeria. A national newspaper went ahead to mention Senator Yari, Senator Tambuwal, and Senator Onawo, among others, as the senators behind the move.
“As a Nothern Senator and an official of the Nothern Senators forum, I make it bold to say that this news is deliberately planted and syndicated by the “camp” of Senator Akpabio just to set President Bola Tinubu against the North.
“I call on Senator Akpabio to call his camp to order as the seed of discord and deep ethno – religious division they are sowing will not augur well for the country”.
He asked, “Why the North? Why in Saudi Arabia?”
According to him. “If Akpabio and his camp wanted a united Senate just like Ahmed Lawal, they could have known exactly what to do during Senate Standing Committees allocation and supplementary budget resources allocation. But the camp of the SP (Senate President) continued to treat the senate as a conquered territory where the winner goes home with the spoils of war. A classical example of a winner takes all.
“How do you explain a situation where out of Category A Committee’s only 2 went to his perceived rivals? How will you explain a senate where 83.1% of those made Chairmen of Category A Committees are also Vice Chairmen of Category A? How do you explain a third time Senator denied the Chairmanship of a Committee? How do you explain leadership of the Senate are all Vice Chairmen of Category A Committees?
“You can not threat us like conquered people and come back to blackmail us with planted and paid newspaper reports setting us against the President, (Bola Tinubu)”.
The Adamawa Senate further stated, “Let me ask this question? During the ministerial screening where 3 minister designates were refused clearance by the senate, which committee looked into the petitions against them? Ethics and Previleges or Adhoc Committee or committee of the whole? Was the report deliberated upon and debated during a plenary session? Was there any voting of either “Yea” or “Nay”?
According to him, “The SP just absconded during Plenary and kept the Senate waiting in the Chamber for over 3 hours while he was in the Villa, something that never happened in the history of the Senate. He then came and read out names of those cleared and “waved” papers in his hand claiming security report from NSA or DSS as reason for not clearing some ministers.
“In my opinion, this is the lowest the Senate ever descended. Who gave NSA or DSS DG or IGP the power to write to the Senate? What do you call that communication? Executive communication or reckless communication?
“Are we telling Nigerians that the Presidency and the Security agencies did not do diligent work before sending the list to the senate or the senate is used as a cannon fodder for Presidential aides power play?
“The SP knows what to do to have a peaceful Senate like Ahmed Lawal and not blackmailing Senators from the Nothern region and using newspaper report to hoodwink the President”.
President Bola Tinubu, Abbo said, “worked hard to make Senator Akpabio SP, but it’s only Senator Akpabio that can manage his colleagues well and not Tinubu managing them for him”.
