The gang of senators planning to oust Senate President Godswill Akpabio is purportedly led by former governors who are currently senators.
Legislators are working arduously to bring about a leadership transition in the Upper Legislative Chambers despite efforts to soothe strained feelings at the Senate.
One of the former governors claimed in an interview with Saturday Sun that the leadership’s failure to unify the legislative branch was the source of the current unrest in the Senate.
UPDATE: Northern Senators Reveals Why They Want Akpabio Impeached
He asserted that the Senate president disregarded established procedures when choosing principal officials, ranking committee chairs, and contributions made during plenary. He accused Akpabio of acting against senators who didn’t back him when he stood for office.
The former governor said: “Political parties usually determine who are to be appointed principal officers of the Senate. That’s the practice, and the Senate President knows this.
“Akpabio is a product of that arrangement when he became Minority Leader. He was nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party them.
“In 2019, the same thing happened. It was the APC and the PDP that nominated the eight principal officers of the Senate, and Ahmad Lawan announced them.
“But as soon as Akpabio took over, he decided to come up with his style. Instead of meeting with the various caucuses of the senatorial districts and the leadership of political parties, he went to meet President Tinubu at the Villa. Those who parade themselves as APC principal officers in the Senate were selected by the Villa and Akpabio’s kitchen cabinet.
UPDATE: Senators Divided Over Moves To Impeach Akpabio
“APC and the PDP protested, and Akpabio ignored them. For instance, in the PDP, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who is the most ranking in the Senate, was ignored by Akpabio.
“Instead, a minister in the administration of President Tinubu decided who got any position in the opposition caucus of the Senate. The leadership of the PDP also protested, but Akpabio ignored them.
“In the Southeast, ranking senators were ignored, and a first-time lawmaker was named a principal officer. That was very strange. Lawmakers protested, and Akpabio didn’t listen.”
Another former governor alleged to the publication that Akpabio disregarded accepted practises while appointing committee chairs.
He said that rookie legislators and Akpabio loyalists were assigned grade “A” committees to lead, while former governors and ranking senators were given minor committees.
Anti-Akpabio Forces Reveals ‘Sins’ He Committed To Warrant His Impeachment
He said: “Some of us have spent four terms in the Senate since we left office as governors. But Akpabio went ahead and named first-timers as chairmen of very sensitive committees. Former governors who are his colleagues were given useless committees.
“We’ve tried to understand the reason behind his action. The only thing we could deduce was the fact that he only gave good committees to those who he felt supported him. That’s the only reason.
“Since he has told us we don’t matter, we will flex our muscles and do whatever it will take to keep the independence of the Senate. We’ve been made an annex to the Villa, and this is very odd.”
He declared that their struggle is not just for the survival of the National Assembly but also against Akpabio.
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