Senate President Godswill Akpabio firmly rejected negotiations about his resignation, telling civil society organizations and critics to abandon the idea and insisting that he will not step down.
Akpabio is currently facing allegations of sexual harassment by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-uduaghan, as well as claims to link him to the 2019 election fraud. However, he dismissed the allegations with no basis and political motive.
Speaking Thursday in response to a speech by Senate leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), who urged lawmakers to continue to focus on their duties, not just pushing for members’ resignation if charged with crime, Akpabio announced that his determination is still in office. He said: “I won’t answer you, but in fact, you say those people who want you to step down – who told you, am I going to step down? If you look at the color of the United States, there are black people who are in jail for 25 years on false charges. Some people are there for 25 years. I’m not those people who will quit.
He added: “So if you keep that in mind, please cancel it. I must thank you for what you said today.”
Akpabio also spoke about the comments from Defense Minister Muhammed Badaru about the Senate’s proposed National Security Summit. He made it clear that the minister must attend the summit in his official capacity, stressing that the differences with the Senate resolution should be handled through appropriate channels.
“If defense has any problem with any solution to the Senate, it shouldn’t do it in the market. It should be in touch with the Senate president or the Senate leader. It should contact us, not speak out publicly. It will only lead to the execution of the rights. We will address this issue in due course,” he said.
Badaru had previously downplayed the need for a two-day security summit, saying the army was well-equipped and more advanced than the insurgents. He stressed that the greater challenges came from the unpredictable strategies of terrorists and the complicity of local informants.
The minister said that while acknowledging that the summit can provide useful insights, “The strategy is more important than the summit. But the summit will provide some advice for the strategy. When you hold a summit, you gather people, listen to their views, and then design or renew the strategy accordingly.”
