Akpabio denies pledging automatic tickets for Senators

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has denied reports alleging that he promised to secure automatic senatorial tickets for lawmakers who lost their political party primaries.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, the Senate President dismissed the reports as completely false, stating that he neither made nor authorized any such commitment.

According to Eyiboh, Akpabio’s actual remarks to his colleagues were that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is actively working to resolve grievances arising from the internal elections.

He assured lawmakers that the final list of candidates would be released strictly in accordance with established party rules and guidelines.

The statement emphasized that Akpabio remains unswervingly committed to party discipline and has no intention of interfering with the APC’s democratic internal processes.

Beyond the primaries, the statement addressed separate media comments regarding a potential Senate probe into the military following recent security challenges across the nation.

While acknowledging that legislative oversight is a core constitutional duty, Eyiboh noted that the Senate President believes a public inquiry at this time would be counterproductive.

The Office of the Senate President argued that open hearings could severely damage the morale of troops currently on the frontlines battling terrorism and banditry.

He noted, however, that the upper legislative chamber favours constructive, closed-door engagements with security chiefs to address national security concerns.

The statement concluded with a strong appeal to media organizations, urging journalists to seek official verification and clarification before publishing sensitive political and security reports.