National Assembly Tension: Oshiomhole Says Akpabio Is Eyeing His Activities

Adams Oshiomhole, the senator representing Edo north, on Sunday, June 14 accused senate president Godswill Akpabio of harbouring a bias against him, saying the senate leader is suspicious of his activities and influence within the national assembly.

Oshiomhole made the comments against the backdrop of increasing tensions in the senate over controversy generated by his recent comments on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

The former Edo state governor said Akpabio has an unprovoked bias against him despite his contributions to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the victory of president Bola Tinubu in the election.

Don’t forget I was a founding governor of the APC and deputy director-general of Bola Tinubu campaign council that brought us victory. I am not claiming to be responsible for the victory, but I worked for it and I am happy that we got it.

“He (Akpabio) is so paranoid about anything that relates to me. Everybody in the senate knows that if senator Akpabio have his way, he will lock me out of the senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I am possibly the devil he knows. “There are many angels he does not know,” he said.

“The next senate leadership arrangement will be very different from the current one,” the senator predicted, pointing to growing dissatisfaction among lawmakers.

“I can tell you that the 11th senate won’t be like the 10th. It can’t be.” senators are grousing about his style of leading. But we manage and I have tried to assure him that ‘Look, senate president, I am a very fulfilled person.

“Whatever job I am given, I ask God to give me courage and even more wisdom to do that job to the satisfaction of my constituents. The senate president is very biased against me. I will not participate in speculation about the reason for his bias,” he said.

Oshiomhole added that Akpabio often gets uneasy when he engages with some senators, giving an instance of an encounter with senator Abdulaziz Yari.

“Lots of people in the senate know. In fact, if I go around the floor of the senate and I go greet certain persons and we have conversations, the man becomes uncomfortable. “I will give you an example,” Oshiomhole said.

“Senator Yari came to the senate president and said he wants to be the vice-chairman of the senate committee on Interior. I am chairman of the Senate Interior Committee. “So you want to join Senator Oshiomhole to plan how to remove me as Senate president?” the senate president told him. But I just laugh.

The senate president is “first among equals” and subject to the collective will of senators, he says.

“If you understand the way the senate works, the senate president is the first among equals. The persons elected are only those favoured by the senators.

And remember, senator Yari could have become the senate President if he had gotten the majority. It is not a case of what anyone wants. It’s about who the senators want,” he warned.

The comments come days after the senate publicly dissociated itself from Oshiomhole’s description of the NNPC as a bunch of criminals and thieves, insisting that the comments were his personal views and not that of the Red Chamber.

Last week, during plenary, the senate adopted a motion sponsored by senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, which clarified that no committee of the senate has the authority to issue, authorize, or execute a warrant of arrest without strict compliance with the Legislative Houses (Powers and privileges) Act and the express approval of the senate president.

The resolution came following reports that the senate committee on public accounts recommended the issuance of a warrant of arrest against former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari, over his failure to honour invitations by the committee.