Omogbolahan L. A. Babawale, National Coordinator of the Think Nigeria Initiative (TNI), has stated that no one in Nigeria has more money to spend on politics than a former governor of a South-South state.
Babawale was responding to Senator Ali Ndume’s claim that Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar’s only claim to the Senate presidency was money.
For someone like Yari to put a price on me and others and the fact that you hear that Yari is giving out money and you should consider doing that… That is the most disgusting thing… Please, we are senators of the federal republic, Ndume had said Thursday.
Countering the lawmaker, however, Babawale in a statement said:
Ndume might have read the handwriting on the wall that majority of the senators are deserting Akpabio and shifting their support to our good-natured candidate, Abdulaziz, and is therefore in a panic mood, which brought about that preposterous statement.
He said:
That careless outburst has further brightened the chances of distinguished Senator Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar to clinch the presidency of the Senate.
Already, there are strong indications that the presidency has been influenced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to withdraw its tacit approval of the Akpabio aspiration. The ex-Minority Whip is said to have multiple questions to answer before the financial crimes commission and fears that such a personality would be more of a liability than an asset to the Tinubu presidency.
The EFCC Chairman, Mr Abdul Rasheed Bawa, had reportedly compounded the woes of the former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Senator Godswill Akpabio who is running for the Presidency of the Senate.
The EFCC Czar was said to have opened a can of worms on the series of alleged financial crimes being investigated by the commission which had necessitated the commission to invite Senator Akpabio twice, but failed to honour the invitations on both occasions, he added.
The source, who declined to give details of the directives given to the crack team on the matter, hinted that Senator Akpabio may soon be invited to the EFCC again.
The source said the EFCC boss was in the villa, ostensibly to brief President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the rumpus between the commission and the DSS which led to the storming of the Ikoyi EFCC office, during which he also briefed Tinubu on Akpabio’s “inordinate ambition to lead the Senate.”
But Akpabio is no respecter of institutions. He showed the same disdain to the Senate many times when it invited him to discuss certain urgent issues rearing their ugly heads at the NDDC where he was minister but he shunned the Senate.
How can someone who, even as a principal officer of the Senate, disgraced the red chamber and its most sublime symbol of authority, now be allowed to preside over it, after openly disrespecting the institution, the source further added.
Going down memory lane, the TNI boss further said Akpabio has a chequered history with the Senate.
As Minister, he threw several of his colleague-senators as well as those in the Green Chamber under the bus. Mr Akpabio had released the names of some federal lawmakers involved with contracts when he presided at the Ministry for Niger Delta.
With this toxic relationship between Akpabio and the National Assembly, Akpabio is more likely to polarize the 10th assembly and take its eye off the ball when it comes to its constitutional duties and obligations to the people.
Among other allegations, Akpabio himself has been alleged of perpetrating a N40 billion fraud when he headed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In 2020, the Senate and the House of Representatives resolved to probe the alleged N40 billion financial recklessness of the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC being supervised by Akpabio. Heading the 10th assembly would give him the opportunity to be vindictive to retaliate and get back at those who fell afoul of his expectations.
These infractions are coming to haunt Akpabio’s aspiration to lead the 10th assembly and tilt the victory pendulum towards Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, that is why Senator Ndume is panicking, Babawale said.
Over the weekend, it was also reliably learned that senators-elect from Ekiti state were reconsidering their collective support for Akpabio after learning of his poor relationship with the NASS.
The APC’s Central Working Committee (CWC) has since taken a wait-and-see stance, but many of its members have expressed support for Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar to become Senate President.
Discussion about this post