- Says four other senators have been targeted for removal from the Red Chamber
- Says they were being hounded because they opposed Senator Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President in the election conducted last June
The Senator representing Adamawa North, Senator Elisha Abbo, who was sacked by the Appeal Court on Monday, has accused the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, as the mastermind of his ouster from the Red Chamber.
Senator Abbo made the allegation while speaking with journalists in Abuja shortly after the Court of Appeal judgement.
A three-member panel of the court led by Justice C.E. Nwosu-Iheme, in a judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a Certificate of Return to Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the validly elected lawmaker for the senatorial district.
Senator Abbo, who further alleged that four other senators have been targeted for removal from the Red Chamber, said they were being hounded because they opposed Senator Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President in the election conducted last June.
He said, “I have it from a reliable source, and a very highly placed one for that matter, that myself and four other Senators within the fold of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would be removed from the Senate through rulings from the courts, all because of working against the emergence of Akpabio as President of the 10th Senate.
“I won’t mention the names of all the four other ones targeted, but the next in line is Senator Orji Uzor Kalu,” he said. Senator Abbo, whose victory was upheld by the Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party for lack of merit, said the judgement of the Court of Appeal was strange.
“The court judgement is strange, and the judiciary needs to remain the last hope of the common man.
“For President Bola Tinubu, I must declare that this is not the democracy he fought for and that he should please lead in protecting it.” While appealing to his supporters to be calm, Senator Abbo said he would seek a return to the Senate in 2027.
Senator Akpabio, however, dismissed his involvement in the political travail of Senator Abbo.
According to Nigerian Tribune, Eseme Eyiboh, Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity to the President of the Senate, denied the involvement of his principal in an interview with the newspaper.
He said, “It is unfortunate if he actually said that Akpabio was responsible for his removal. That’s the swan song of a man looking for scapegoats.
“The Court of Appeal across the country decides cases based on the provisions of the Electoral Act and evidence advanced by petitioners. The Senate President has no reason to witch-hunt any of his colleagues.”