Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of harbouring a bias against him, alleging that the Senate leader is suspicious of his activities and influence within the National Assembly.
Speaking on the Sunday edition of Mic On Podcast, Oshiomhole claimed that Akpabio is “paranoid” whenever he interacts with some senators and suggested that the Senate President would exclude him from the chamber if given the opportunity.
He added that he could not explain the reason for what he described as Akpabio’s bias, despite his role as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and his contribution to President Bola Tinubu’s election victory in 2023.
He said, “Don’t forget that I was a founding governor of the APC and deputy DG of Bola Tinubu Campaign Council that gave us victory. I’m not saying I am responsible for the victory, but I worked for it, and I’m happy we got it.
“He (Akpabio) is so paranoid about anything that has to do with me. Everybody in the Senate knows that if Senator Akpabio have his way, he will lock me out of the senate because he has misled himself into thinking that I am probably the devil he knows. There are many angels he doesn’t know,” he said.
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.
“If you understand the way the Senate works, the Senate president is first among equals. Only the persons favoured by the senators are elected.
“Remember, if Senator Yari had got the majority, he could have become the Senate president. It is not about what anybody wishes. It is about who the senators want,” he warned.
