The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has recently come under fire because of a controversial comment he made during the last plenary of the red chamber before its recess.
OsunDailyNG reports that the Senate has been widely criticised even by his fellow lawmakers for revealing on live tv how some ‘token’ has been sent to senators to enjoy their holidays.
The Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, while reacting to Akpabio’s comment last week, said, ”He made a very wrong statement, and I warned him immediately that his comments were unbecoming of an elder.
“In fact, we are even planning to take drastic action against him if he continues making unguarded statements and acting as if we are kids.”
Akpabio, in the past, has also been recorded to have made other ’embarrassing’ comments.
Here is a recap of three of those comments
1. Prayers to senators ‘mailboxes’
Akpabio earlier this month made a gaffe during plenary when he mistakenly revealed that money had been sent to senators to “enjoy” their recess.
The Senate president had forgotten that the proceeding was being streamed live when he made the comment.
He said, “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly.”
When his colleagues immediately informed him that he was speaking on live television, Akpabio quickly withdrew his comment, saying, “In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
2. The Three G comment
In the wake of the tussle for the position of the Senate President, Akpabio had reportedly told a cross-section of newly elected lawmakers at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, to abide by the three G phenomenon he learnt from his mother.
In the heat of the campaign period for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, the former Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, had convened the lawmakers-elect then to support President Bola Tinubu’s choice of Akpabio as the new speaker.
While addressing the lawmakers-elect, Akpabio said, “Yesterday, I met the party. I actually left a sentence with them or thereabouts. Should I leave the sentence with you?
“In your daily dealings, my late mother told me that I should be aware of the 3Gs: The first G is God; the second G is Gun, and the third G is Government.
“The first G is God Almighty. The second G is what? Gun, and the third one is (the) Government. May you conduct yourself mindful of the admonition of my late mother, by respecting the 3Gs, particularly the government.”
3. N1 million lunch money for ‘hungry’ PDP chairmen
In March 2013, when Akpabio was still the governor of Akwa Ibom State, he had reportedly told a gathering of fellow Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders during a South-south zonal meeting of the party in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, that he would give all “hungry” state chairmen of the PDP N1 million for lunch at Mr Bigg’s.
The then National Chairman of the PDP, Bamanga Tukur, had led party leaders from Abuja to Port Harcourt for the meeting, which was meant to reconcile feuding factions and restore peace to aggrieved state chapters.
Akpabio was quoted to have said, “My brother Governor, Uduaghan, said our members are hungry and that we must put food in their stomachs so that they don’t stray to other parties. I am giving all the state chairmen of the party N1 million right now for Mr Biggs. Our members must not be hungry.”
