Senate President Godswill Akpabio has rubbished claims suggesting he considered stepping down from his position, calling the allegations against him baseless and politically motivated.
Speaking during Thursday’s plenary session, Akpabio responded sharply after Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, passed a vote of confidence in him.
Bamidele took a veiled swipe at Akpabio’s critics, saying those expecting the Senate to demand his resignation must now be disappointed.
“Whatever the level of allegation against anyone of us, we will always ask for evidence,” Bamidele declared, applauding colleagues for their solidarity.
Akpabio, in a fiery rebuttal, stated: “Who told you I was going to step down due to false allegations? I’m not one of those people.” He likened the accusations to racially motivated injustices in the U.S., saying, “There are black people who went to prison for 25 years over false allegations.”
In a related twist, suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan accused of breaching Senate rules recently published a sarcastic “apology” to Akpabio on Facebook, claiming she was sorry for “the crime of maintaining dignity and self-respect.”
Akpabio has since approached an Abuja Federal High Court to compel her to delete the post.
The Senate President appears determined to hold his ground, signaling he’s not stepping aside anytime soon.