Former Adamawa North Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of turning the Nigerian Senate into his personal empire and punishing lawmakers who oppose him.
Speaking on Arise News’ PrimeTime programme on Wednesday night, Abbo alleged that Akpabio orchestrated the removal of five senators, including himself.
“He told me that five senators would be removed. I asked how he knew, and he said, ‘I am the Senate President. I know.’ True to his words, five of us were removed. I had no idea that I was one of them,” Abbo claimed.
The former senator recounted that he rejected Akpabio’s request for support before the Senate leadership election.
“When I won election into the 10th Senate, I became the de facto DG campaign to Senator Abdulaziz Yari. He (Akpabio) came to my hotel room around 2 AM, asking for my support. I told him I was already committed to Yari and wished him good luck,” he said.
Abbo further alleged that financial inducements were used to sway senators. “At a meeting at Transcorp Hilton, $10,000 was being distributed, but I refused to take any money,” he claimed.
He also accused Akpabio of denying him official privileges after his removal. “Every other senator who was removed by the courts got their vehicles, but I was excluded. This is the level of vindictiveness displayed by Akpabio,” Abbo said.
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Highlighting the case of Senator Ali Ndume, he alleged that Akpabio sidelined him for questioning the Senate’s leadership.
“Now, let’s look at Senator Ali Ndume. He was the DG to Akpabio. When he raised concerns about the way things were being run in the Senate, he was removed as Chief Whip and stripped of his position as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations,” Abbo stated.
He also criticised Akpabio for changing the Senate Standing Rules to consolidate power.
“I also moved a motion to amend the Senate Standing Rules so that only senators who had served at least one term could contest for Senate leadership. But what did Akpabio do? He rewrote the rules to allow first-term senators to become leaders of both the majority and minority caucuses—just so he could control them,” he said.
Abbo went further to claim that senators perform menial tasks for Akpabio. “Do you know that in Akpabio’s house, senators serve him tea?” he asked.
“Well, I am telling you now. And I told him, ‘You are no longer a governor. These senators are our colleagues, not your commissioners. They are not here to serve you tea,’” Abbo alleged.
He maintained that his concerns were about the leadership of the Senate, not the institution itself. “I have always defended the integrity of the Senate. The issue is the leadership, not the institution itself,” he said.