Akpabio Apologises To Governors Over N30bn Fund Allegation, Escapes Impeachment Plot
ABUJA – The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has apologised to the 36 state governors over his allegation that they received N30 billion from the Federal Government to tackle the food crisis in the country.
Akpabio made the allegation on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, during a Senate plenary session, but later retracted it and issued a statement through his media aide, Eseme Eyiboh, saying he regretted the “unfortunate conjectures” in the public domain.
However, Sunday Tribune learnt that Akpabio also met with the representatives of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) two days after the statement and tendered an unreserved apology to them over the gaffe.
According to sources in the National Assembly, Akpabio’s apology was informed by the fear of impeachment by some senators who were unhappy with his leadership and were seeking the support of the governors to remove him as the senate president.
The sources said that some members of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) were particularly displeased with Akpabio and accused him of leading the Senate astray.
They said that the NSF members reached out to the governors, especially those of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to back their bid to oust Akpabio.
They also said that the presidency was not willing to defend Akpabio over the matter, which made the governors more inclined to join the impeachment plot.
The sources said that Akpabio realised the extent of the threat from the governors and decided to issue an apology and beg for forgiveness at a meeting in Abuja.
They also said that Akpabio had been living in fear of impeachment for months and had set up some teams to spy on the offices of some influential senators.
They said that Akpabio was always on alert whenever two or three senators gathered in the office of a certain North-East senator and would call the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, to ask, “leader, are we safe?”
Akpabio’s apology has, however, calmed the tension in the Senate and averted the impeachment plot, at least for now.
