Senate President Godswill Akpabio has firmly rejected talks about his resignation, telling Civil Society Organizations and critics to abandon the idea, insisting he will not step down.
Akpabio is currently facing allegations of sexual harassment made by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, along with claims linking him to electoral fraud in 2019. However, he dismissed these accusations as baseless and politically motivated.
Speaking on Thursday in response to remarks by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), who urged lawmakers to remain focused on their duties and not just push for a member’s resignation if accused of a crime, Akpabio declared his resolve to remain in office despite the controversy. He said, “I will not have answered you, but for the fact that you said those who would have asked you to step down—who told you I was going to step down? You know, if you watch the color of America, there are black people who went to prison for false allegations. Some were there for 25 years. So I’m not one of those people who will step down over false allegations. When it is eventually proven that the allegation is false, they will say, ‘Oh well… I’m not that bad.’”
He added, “So if you had that in mind, please cancel it. I must thank you for the words you spoke today.”
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Akpabio also addressed comments by the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru, regarding the Senate’s proposed national security summit. He made it clear that the minister must attend the summit in his official capacity, stressing that disagreements with the Senate’s resolutions should be handled through proper channels.
“If Defence has any issue with any resolution of the Senate, it shouldn’t do so in the market. It should get in touch with the Senate President or Senate Leaders. It should get in touch with us, not speak in the open. It will only lead to an executive-legislative brouhaha. We will address this at the appropriate time,” he stated.
Badaru had previously downplayed the necessity of the two-day security summit, saying the military was already well-equipped and more advanced than the insurgents. He emphasized that the greater challenge came from the unpredictable tactics of terrorists and the complicity of local informants.
While acknowledging that summits can provide helpful insights, the minister said, “Strategy is far more important than a summit. But the summit will give some input for the strategy. When you hold a summit, you gather people, listen to their views, and then design or renew the strategy accordingly.”