••Abbo alleges orchestrated removal, financial incentives, and vindictive actions by Senate President.
Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo has launched a scathing attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alleging that he runs the Nigerian Senate like a “personal empire” and targets senators who oppose his views. Speaking on Arise TV on Wednesday, Abbo claimed Akpabio orchestrated the removal of five senators, including himself, and engages in practices that undermine the Senate’s integrity.
Abbo, a former Adamawa North senator, asserted that Akpabio had prior knowledge of the planned ousting. “He told me that five senators would be removed. I asked how he knew, and he said, ‘I am the Senate President. I know.’ True to his words, five of us were removed. I had no idea that I was one of them,” Abbo stated.
The senator, who supported Abdulaziz Yari’s bid for Senate President, further accused Akpabio of attempting to sway his support with personal appeals and financial incentives. “He came to my hotel room around 2 AM, asking for my support. I told him I was already committed to Yari. Later, at a meeting at Transcorp Hilton, $10,000 was being distributed, but I refused to take any money,” he alleged.
Abbo also detailed what he described as vindictive actions by Akpabio, including the denial of travel reimbursements, obstruction of his participation in international parliamentary assignments, and the withholding of his official vehicle. “Every other senator who was removed by the courts got their vehicles, but I was excluded. This is the level of vindictiveness displayed by Akpabio,” he said.
He cited the case of Senator Ali Ndume, who was removed as Chief Whip and stripped of his position as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations after raising concerns. Abbo also accused Akpabio of manipulating the Senate Standing Rules to consolidate his control over the legislative body.
In a particularly striking allegation, Abbo claimed, “Do you know that in Akpabio’s house, senators serve him tea? Well, I am telling you now. And I told him, ‘You are no longer a governor. These senators are our colleagues, not your commissioners. They are not here to serve you tea.’”
Abbo emphasized that his criticism was directed at the leadership, not the Senate as an institution. “I have always defended the integrity of the Senate. The issue is the leadership, not the institution itself,” he concluded.
[Possible Inclusion: Statement from the Senate President’s office or a representative, if available.]
