Former Adamawa North Senator Ishaku Elisha Abbo has leveled serious allegations against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of operating the Nigerian Senate as his personal empire and targeting dissenting lawmakers.
Speaking on the Arise News program, PrimeTime, on Wednesday night, Abbo claimed that Akpabio orchestrated the removal of senators who did not align with his leadership agenda. “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 alleged.
Recalling the events prior to Akpabio’s election as Senate President, Abbo said he declined the president’s request for support. “When I won election into the 10th Senate, I became the de facto DG campaign to Senator Abdulaziz Yari. He [Akpabio] came to my hotel room around 2 AM, asking for my support. I told him I was already committed to Yari and wished him good luck,” he said.
Abbo further accused Akpabio of using financial inducements to secure loyalty among senators. “At a meeting at Transcorp Hilton, $10,000 was being distributed, but I refused to take any money,” he revealed, suggesting that such practices were instrumental in consolidating Akpabio’s control.
The former senator also alleged that after his removal, he was denied certain privileges that other ousted senators received. “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,” Abbo asserted.
Highlighting the treatment of dissenters, Abbo cited the case of Senator Ali Ndume, who was allegedly sidelined for raising concerns about Senate operations. “He was the DG to Akpabio. When he raised concerns about the way things were being run in the Senate, he was removed as Chief Whip and stripped of his position as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations,” Abbo said.
In a further critique of Akpabio’s leadership, Abbo noted his attempt to amend the Senate Standing Rules so that only senators who had served at least one term could vie for leadership positions. “But what did Akpabio do? He rewrote the rules to allow first-term senators to become leaders of both the majority and minority caucuses—just so he could control them,” he alleged.
Abbo’s remarks extended to vivid imagery, stating, “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.’”
The former senator concluded by emphasizing that his criticisms were directed at the leadership practices in the Senate, not the institution itself. “I have always defended the integrity of the Senate. The issue is the leadership, not the institution itself,” Abbo maintained.
As these allegations add to the growing debate over Senate leadership and accountability, questions remain about the broader implications for the Nigerian legislature and its commitment to democratic governance.
