The senate president, Godswill Akpabio, suffered a gaffe when he announced to the lawmakers that money would be sent by the clerk of the national assembly, Mr Magaji Tambuwal to their accounts to enjoy their recess.
In a viral video that surfaced on social media on Wednesday (yesterday), Akpabio made the statement before a motion of adjournment was moved at the conclusion of the senate’s ministerial screening on Monday, August 7.
“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.”
Shortly after, the senate president was alerted by some of his colleagues that the plenary session was live on television.
The senate president futilely tried to rephrase the comment which had already been captured live.
“I withdraw that statement. 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.”
Commenting on the matter, the a former representative of Kaduna Central in the senate between 2015 and 2019, Mr. Shehu Sani, took to his twitter handle wherein he said legislators are usually paid discreetly away from public scrutiny but Akpabio pressed the alarm.
“Crediting the legislators’ accounts are done under the mute button, the uncommon senate president mistakenly pressed the alarm.
“Crediting the legislators accounts are done under mute button, the Uncommon Senate President mistakenly pressed the alarm,” he wrote in a tweet.
Also reacting, a former spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Timi Frank, said the lawmaker’s holiday largesse “is the biggest joke” and a “mockery of democracy and Nigerians” and called for Akpabio’s resignation.
“The show of shame that was demonstrated…on a live national television where the Senate under Akpabio was telling the whole world and Nigerians that they are going on vacation, and the Clerk of the National Assembly has paid money to every account of the Nigerian Senators.
“This is the biggest joke we’ve seen in recent times, and that is the main reason why I’m making it bold and very clear that Senator Godswill Akpabio must immediately resign as the Senate President. He cannot continue to make mockery of our democracy and make mockery of Nigerians.
“This is the same man who made mockery of the poor, and made it very clear in the Senate chamber by saying ‘Let the poor breathe’. Meanwhile, he was laughing because he knew they will definitely never allow the poor to breathe, they’ll continue to suffocate the poor and that is what he demonstrated today (Monday) on a live TV by sharing the resources that belongs to the poor to their personal accounts.
“Akpabio has shown that since the inception of the Nigerian Senate, this is the most corrupt Senate President ever Nigerians have witnessed.
“I use this opportunity to call on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to end this joke and Nollywood act of Akpabio, that this is the time he the President must tell Akpabio to resign for this show of shame and national embarrassment, Nigerians can no longer take this in this APC government anymore,” Frank said.
