The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has said that he didn’t promise to secure tickets for senators who lost the recently held primary elections of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The rebuttal was made in a statement by his media office on Saturday, which stressed that the Senate President only empathised with senators who were affected negatively by the outcome of their primary elections, in the course of interacting with them
“We must categorically assert that this report doesn’t reflect the position of the President of the Senate. For the record, Senator Akpabio has neither made nor authorised to be made such a promise,” the office said in the statement signed by Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Senate President.
According to the statement, “What the President of the Senate actually said, in the course of interacting with his colleagues, was to empathise with senators who were affected negatively by the outcome of their primary elections. 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.
“Senator Akpabio remains committed to party discipline, due process, and the internal mechanisms of the APC for resolving disputes. He won’t interfere in the autonomous processes of the party or make commitments that are outside the purview of the National Assembly leadership.”
While clarifying on Akpbio’s comments regarding security and legislative oversight, the statement added, “The office also notes another report quoting a distinguished Senator on the need for the Senate to probe the military over recent security incidents.
“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. 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.
“The Senate President believes strongly that support, collaboration and closed-door engagements with security agencies are more productive at this critical time. Oversight will be exercised responsibly, without creating distractions that embolden adversaries or divert attention from the urgent task of securing Nigeria and its people.
“Senator Akpabio urges the media and the public to disregard sensational and inaccurate misrepresentation of his remarks and to always seek clarification from his office before publication.”
