Oshiomhole raises concerns over Akpabio’s attitude

By Taiwo Scholarstica

The Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has alleged that Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is biased against him and suspicious of his actions within the Senate.

Oshiomhole made the remarks during an appearance on MIC ON PODCAST, amid recent controversies surrounding his comments on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

The former Edo State governor said Akpabio has an unfounded negative perception of him despite his role in the formation of the ruling All Progressives Congress and his contributions to President Bola Tinubu’s election campaign.

According to Oshiomhole, the Senate President is uncomfortable with some of his interactions with fellow lawmakers and often interprets them wrongly.

He claimed that Akpabio once questioned the intentions of Senator Abdulaziz Yari when he sought to become Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, which Oshiomhole currently chairs.

The senator also said many lawmakers are dissatisfied with the current leadership style in the Senate and predicted that the leadership structure of the next Senate would be different from that of the current 10th Senate.

He, however, stated that he remains focused on serving his constituents and has no interest in engaging in speculation about the reasons behind Akpabio’s alleged bias against him.

Oshiomhole stressed that the Senate President is elected by senators and remains accountable to them, describing the office as that of “first among equals.”

His comments come days after the Senate distanced itself from his description of the NNPCL as “a bunch of criminals and thieves,” stating that the remarks reflected his personal opinion and not the position of the Senate.

Last week, the Senate also adopted a motion clarifying that no committee has the authority to issue or execute a warrant of arrest without following due process and obtaining the approval of the Senate President.

The resolution followed reports that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts had recommended a warrant of arrest against former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, for allegedly failing to honour invitations by the committee.

Efforts to obtain a reaction from Akpabio’s media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to him were not answered as of the time of filing this report.