Senate President Akpabio Denies Involvement in Abbo’s Removal from Senate

• Senate President Godswill Akpabio denies any role in Senator Elisha Abbo’s removal from the Senate and refutes allegations
• Akpabio’s media aide clarifies that court judgments are based on the Electoral Act and evidence presented, not personal vendettas

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has refuted allegations that he played a role in Senator Elisha Abbo’s removal from the Senate. Abbo had claimed that Akpabio was behind his removal from the Senate, asserting that he, along with four other senators, was targeted for removal because they worked against Akpabio’s emergence as Senate President.

Abbo, who campaigned and worked for Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Akpabio’s primary challenger for the Senate presidency, suggested that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu was the next target for removal from the Senate.

In response to the allegations, Eseme Eyiboh, media aide to the Senate President, stated that Akpabio had no involvement in the court’s decision to sack Abbo from the Senate. He emphasized that court judgments are based on the provisions of the Electoral Act and the evidence presented by petitioners, with no reason for Akpabio to target his colleagues.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja had nullified Abbo’s election, ruling in favour of his rival, Amos Yohanna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The court found that the election results did not comply with the Electoral Act, deducting invalid votes and declaring Yohanna as the validly elected senator for the district.

This response from Akpabio aims to clarify that he was not involved in the judicial process that led to Abbo’s removal from the Senate.

Senate President instigated my sack – Senator Abbo alleges

The Senator representing Adamawa North, Senator Elisha Abbo, who the Appeal Court sacked 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 alleged that four other senators had 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 last June election.