Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed reports alleging that he promised automatic senatorial tickets to lawmakers who were unsuccessful in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.
Akpabio had earlier indicated that efforts were being made to cushion the political impact of the primary elections on affected senators.
Speaking on Tuesday while welcoming senators back from a three-week recess and the Eid-el-Kabir holiday, he suggested that steps were being taken to minimise disappointments arising from the party’s primary process.
“And in this senate, we are promised that we will have very few disappointments. And I do know that the senate leader and the leadership of the senate are working very hard towards that,” he said.
‘APC leadership working on concerns from primaries’
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Eseme Eyiboh, Akpabio described the reports as inaccurate and misleading.
He clarified that he neither made nor authorised any commitment to secure tickets for senators affected by the APC primaries.
According to the statement, the Senate President merely sympathised with lawmakers who suffered setbacks during the exercise and assured them that the party leadership was addressing concerns arising from the process.
“What the President of the Senate actually said, in the course of interacting with his colleagues, was to empathize with senators who were affected negatively by the outcome of their primary elections,” the statement said.
“He assured them that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is actively working to address all issues arising from the primaries and that the final list of candidates will be released in due course in line with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines.”
Akpabio reiterated his commitment to party discipline and due process, stressing that he would not interfere in APC internal affairs or make promises beyond the authority of the National Assembly leadership.
Fourteen serving senators were defeated during the APC primaries conducted across various states.
Senate president opposes public military investigation
Akpabio also reacted to reports quoting a senator who advocated a legislative probe into recent military operations and security challenges.
While acknowledging that legislative oversight remains part of the National Assembly’s constitutional responsibilities, he argued that a public investigation of the military would be inappropriate at this time.
“While legislative oversight is a constitutional responsibility of the National Assembly, Senator Akpabio’s position is that this is not the opportune moment for a public probe of the Armed Forces,” he said.
“At a time when our troops are engaged on multiple fronts against terrorism, banditry and other threats to National Security, subjecting the military to a public legislative inquisition could undermine their morale and operational focus.”
He added that cooperation and private engagements with security agencies would yield better results under the current circumstances.