Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of holding a personal bias against him, saying Akpabio is “paranoid” about his interactions with some senators and would exclude him from the chamber if he could.
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Speaking on the Mic On Podcast, Oshiomhole said he could not explain the alleged hostility despite his long service to the All Progressives Congress and his role in President Bola Tinubu’s 2023 campaign. “Don’t forget that I was a founding governor of the APC and deputy DG of Bola Tinubu Campaign Council that gave us victory… He (Akpabio) is so paranoid about anything that has to do with me,” Oshiomhole said. He added that many in the Senate believe Akpabio would “lock me out of the senate” if given the chance.
Oshiomhole predicted leadership changes in the next Senate, arguing senators are dissatisfied with Akpabio’s style. “The 11th Senate will not be like the 10th… Senators are grumbling about his style of leadership,” he said, while stressing he tries to manage relations and prays for wisdom in serving his constituents.
He also alleged Akpabio becomes uneasy when Oshiomhole speaks with certain colleagues, citing an exchange in which Akpabio reportedly joked that Senator Abdulaziz Yari’s bid to be vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Interior was part of a plot to remove him. Oshiomhole reminded listeners that the Senate President answers to fellow senators, as the position depends on their collective will.
Oshiomhole also predicted that the leadership dynamics of the next Senate would differ from the current arrangement, claiming that many lawmakers were dissatisfied with Akpabio’s leadership style.
“The 11th Senate will not be like the 10th, this I can say. It can’t be. Senators are grumbling about his style of leadership. But we try to manage, and I’ve tried to assure him that ‘Look, Mr Senate President, I am a very fulfilled person.’
Whatever job I am given to do, I ask God to give me courage and even greater wisdom to do that job to the satisfaction of my constituents. The Senate President’s bias against me is very well known. I will not join in speculating as to the reason for his bias,” he stated.
The lawmaker further alleged that Akpabio often becomes uncomfortable when he holds discussions with certain colleagues. He cited an incident involving Senator Abdulaziz Yari, claiming the Senate president once joked that Yari’s desire to serve as vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior was linked to a plan to remove him from office.
According to Oshiomhole, the Senate President remains accountable to fellow lawmakers because the position is determined by the collective will of senators.
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